Do you want to see Conor McGregor take on boxing legend Manny Pacquiao for his next fight? Because it sounds like the wheels could be in motion.
Pacquiao, the only boxer to win championships in eight different divisions, on Friday said he has begun talks to fight McGregor in a boxing match in April when he breaks away from his duties as a senator in the Phillippines.
“If we can negotiate it, I have no problem. It is OK with both of us,” Pacquiao told news wire service AFP, via Yahoo.com, when asked if he was seeking a fight with McGregor.
When asked by AFP if there’d been communication with McGregor’s representatives, Pacquiao confirmed that to be true.
“Initially, but we have not yet had any follow-up conversations,” Pacquiao said.
Pacquiao, 38, last fought in July, dropping a controversial unanimous decision to Australian Jeff Horn in Brisbane, Australia. Pacquiao (59-7-2 boxing) would like to fight again, but he stressed that it had to take place during the Phillippines’ lengthy Senate recess.
Pacquiao also made it clear that McGregor is just one of several opponents being considered.
“It depends who they can finalize as my opponent by April,” Pacquiao said.
Still, this takes things a step further than Pacquiao’s Instagram post last month, when he seemingly called out the UFC lightweight champion by wishing McGregor a Happy Thanksgiving and encouraging him to “stay fit, my friend.” Pacquiao also included the hashtags “#realboxingmatch #2018.”
McGregor (21-3 MMA, 0-1 boxing) is coming off an unsuccessful boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather – at least from a competitive standpoint. In August, Mayweather picked apart McGregor before winning by TKO in the 10th round.
While it wasn’t the result McGregor hoped for in the ring, he certainly was happy with business outcome. The boxing spectacle between McGregor and Mayweather drew 6.7 million pay-per-view buys around the world, smashing the record set by Mayweather’s 2015 fight vs. Pacquiao, according to UFC President Dana White. McGregor is believed to have eclipsed a $100 million payday.
If McGregor opts for another boxing match over MMA, his decision is sure to be met with criticism from the MMA community. He has yet to defend the UFC lightweight title he won from Eddie Alvarez in November 2016.
McGregor seemingly has a natural next MMA opponent in interim lightweight champ Tony Ferguson, who claimed the title in October at UFC 216. However, a title-unification bout faces a potential delay following Ferguson’s announcement Thursday that he’d undergone elbow surgery. That could give McGregor more incentive to pursue Pacquiao instead.
McGregor remains under contract exclusively to the UFC, though White has said the two sides are working on a new deal. White also said last month that McGregor “might never fight again.”
thatoothpick45 wrote:I saw that. But at weight? I doubt Mcgregor can make 145 anymore, maybe 150?
I don’t know. 150lbs would be fair IMO. Pacquiao has definitely lost a step, but he won’t go easy on Conor like Floyd did, so I’m curious to see how this one would go.
It very well might be an excuse for those two to rematch… Who's going to turn down a high grossing promoted match up like this
You are dumb. There is no chance of that fight happening again
All they need is a good excuse right now the fight isnt happening because Maddie is not on the same level as Mayweather and everybody knows it but if Maddy knocks out McGregor… Pretty soon people would be saying many shoulder was hurt in the first go around and all of a sudden the buzz and electricity for a rematch becomes that much more magnified don't you see dumbass Deez... or are you completely blind to how marketing works in the real world outside of your little bubble of Dakota
l3 o $$ wrote:
It very well might be an excuse for those two to rematch… Who's going to turn down a high grossing promoted match up like this
You are dumb. There is no chance of that fight happening again
All they need is a good excuse right now the fight is it happening because Maddie is not on the same level as Mayweather and everybody knows it but if Maddy knocks out McGregor… Pretty soon people would be saying many shoulder was hurt in the first go around and all of a sudden the buzz and electricity for a rematch becomes that much more magnified don't you see dumbass Deez... or are you completely blind to how marketing works in the real world outside of your little bubble of Dakota
Fucking redneck
Good lord you are stupid. It’s not happening. Only a moron like you would buy that garbage
This would be the point where I stop being moderately "pro-Conor" in the divide and become firmly anti-Conor.
Get back in the cage, defend your 155 belt at least twice in 2018.
If you don't want to defend the belt and would rather chase goofy money fights, that's fine...just vacate the belt so the rest of the division can move on fresh.
Bush4Ever35 wrote:This would be the point where I stop being moderately "pro-Conor" in the divide and become firmly anti-Conor.
Get back in the cage, defend your 155 belt at least twice in 2018.
If you don't want to defend the belt and would rather chase goofy money fights, that's fine...just vacate the belt so the rest of the division can move on fresh.
So he can go in the cage and make a few mill...or box and make 20 to 30 mill per fight....Not too terribly difficult a decision for him...
Bush4Ever35 wrote:This would be the point where I stop being moderately "pro-Conor" in the divide and become firmly anti-Conor.
Get back in the cage, defend your 155 belt at least twice in 2018.
If you don't want to defend the belt and would rather chase goofy money fights, that's fine...just vacate the belt so the rest of the division can move on fresh.
So he can go in the cage and make a few mill...or box and make 20 to 30 mill per fight....Not too terribly difficult a decision for him...
Of course. He's working in his own self-interest.
But vacate the belt. That's all I'm saying. Let the rest of the division get on with it while you do your money fights.
Cake and eating it too and all that.
[Edit: By the way, he makes into the 8 figures for MMA fights, about 10-12 million a fight]
Bush4Ever35 wrote:This would be the point where I stop being moderately "pro-Conor" in the divide and become firmly anti-Conor.
Get back in the cage, defend your 155 belt at least twice in 2018.
If you don't want to defend the belt and would rather chase goofy money fights, that's fine...just vacate the belt so the rest of the division can move on fresh.
So he can go in the cage and make a few mill...or box and make 20 to 30 mill per fight....Not too terribly difficult a decision for him...
Of course. He's working in his own self-interest.
But vacate the belt. That's all I'm saying. Let the rest of the division get on with it while you do your money fights.
Cake and eating it too and all that.
[Edit: By the way, he makes into the 8 figures for MMA fights, about 10-12 million a fight]
At least since Diaz I. Remember, he's a PPV partner with the UFC in addition to base pay. Most of his money comes from being a PPV partner, not base pay or Reebok sponsorship.
I'm pretty sure he even made more than that in Diaz 2.
At least since Diaz I. Remember, he's a PPV partner with the UFC in addition to base pay. Most of his money comes from being a PPV partner, not base pay or Reebok sponsorship.
I'm pretty sure he even made more than that in Diaz 2.
I see. Well, there really aren't too many more opponents that can generate that kind of cash though...I don't think he can fight Diaz again...
