Two of the most iconic combat sports athletes could be on a collision course to fight
UFC star Conor McGregor took to social media on Friday and said the next time he engages in a sanctioned fight it will be in a boxing ring, not in an MMA cage
« I then box Manny Pacquiao in the Middle East, » McGregor said in a series of tweets. « It will be a real honor to have faced two of the greatest boxers of the modern era, scared of a fight «
McGregor’s coach and Paradigm Sports director Audie Attar told ESPN on Friday that the Irishman was in « serious talks » to fight the all-time Filipino, « but the fight is not still finished »
McGregor and Pacquiao are aiming for a date of late December or January 2021, and the Middle East is one of the few places considered for crusader combat
Attar further explained that the final weight was not determined for the fight and that the UFC was okay with McGregor boxing idea, even though the MMA star proclaimed his retirement this year The plan is for McGregor to continue his UFC career in 2021
McGregor also participated in a tweetstorm by posting screenshots of Instagram conversations before Covid 19, ahead of the retirement he had with UFC President Dana White as he attempted to trace the rest of his year He followed up on the statements by posting pictures on Instagram Stories of himself boxing in a ring
“I was pushing hard for the season,” McGregor continued on Twitter “Multiple [UFC] opponents, multiple dates offered throughout Everything will go back to back Then when the covid hit and we said that I would have to wait for the crowd again, I got away from the situation I waited long enough at this point… Anyway, all the water under the bridge which gives an f — «
McGregor (22-4 MMA; 20 saves; 0-1 boxing) and eight-division champion Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) have been linked with a potential fight since McGregor scored 40 seconds KOs from Donald Cerrone in January It was McGregor’s first fight since losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018
During the McGregor-Cerrone fight week, Manny Pacquiao Promotions chief and right-hand man Sean Gibbons shared a poster on social media of the two fighters battling for a fight at Allegiant Stadium, the new arena Raiders in Las Vegas
Less than a month later, Pacquiao signed a pact with Paradigm Sports, the same executive group that runs McGregor
Prior to Nurmagomedov’s loss, McGregor made his boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather Jr in a tenth-round TKO loss in August 2017 « The Money Fight » generated 43 million pay-per-view purchases, the second in importance in the history of boxing
McGregor weighed 170 pounds in his fight against Cerrone For Mayweather Jr, he tipped the scales at 153 pounds Pacquiao, 41, has fought exclusively as a welterweight since 2009 and has always been below the limit 147 pounds
Pacquiao enjoyed a comeback year in 2019, beating Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman He has been linked with all welterweights from Errol Spence Jr, Mikey Garcia, Terrence Crawford, Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter since then, but he Seems Pacquiao has an appetite for a more star-studded opponent to reap a massive last payday before he retires
In a press conference ahead of his fight with Cerrone, BoxingScenecom asked 32-year-old McGregor what his boxing plans were for moving forward
“For me one of my aspirations is to win a world boxing title It would be a phenomenal feather in the cap and something that I am looking to achieve and will achieve in the future,” McGregor told the ‘time « What a fight it would be against Manny – a mighty little southpaw You’d have to find the weight and that sort of thing, but that’s something I’m definitely interested in »
Manouk Akopyan has been a sports journalist and member of the Boxing Writers Assn of America since 2011 He has written for the LA Times, The Guardian, USA Today, Philadelphia Inquirer, Men’s Health and NFLcom He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan or by e-mail to manouk [dot] akopyan [at] gmailcom
[QUOTE = alexjust; 20778129] Underrated comment
But I would compare it to something like « The Meg » or « Snakes on the plane » – insane, observable and yet unnecessary time spent [/ QUOTE]
Nice analogy
I say that as a floyd fan Being honest, worse than Mayweather did, Pac is gonna smoke this guy and it’s gonna be hilarious f ** king lol Hope manny ‘Ricky Hattons’ him
While waiting for the pact @ rd hypocrites who cried that mayweather only took fights of jokes to come and defend this trash
Conor McGregor, Manny Pacquiao, Boxing, Dana White, Floyd Mayweather, Mixed Martial Arts, Diego Sanchez, Ultimate Fighting Championship
World News – United States – Conor McGregor: Match boxing with Manny Pacquiao Next in the Middle East
