Conor McGregor has some big plans for the UFC’s Octagon in the coming months, but the former champ continues to field questions about boxing as well, and buzz about him facing Manny Pacquiao continues to build.
McGregor is down to box Pacquiao at Allegiant Stadium
Ever since McGregor was stopped by Floyd Mayweather Jr. in their massive, boxing match in 2017, there’s been talk about whether he’ll box again. For example, initially, there was a lot of buzz about McGregor boxing former sparring partner, turned enemy, Paulie Malignaggi.
But, as McGregor prepared to make his Octagon return against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 this Saturday, buzz about the Irish star boxing had dropped off. That was until McGregor did an interview with ESPN, and he reported he wants to compete in multiple boxing matches still. Not only that, McGregor said he wants to win a boxing title, and he also mentioned that they nearly signed a deal to box Pacquiao.
Well, more recently, a business partner of Pacquiao shared out the mocked-up poster below. It essentially proposes that McGregor and Pacquiao box at the massive, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas this year.
While talking to the media about this, McGregor said the following (quotes via MMA Fighting):
“That’s the new football stadium, is it? I would be honored to be a part of that event,” McGregor said. “I would love to be the first combatant to fight in that arena. What a fight that would be against Manny, right? A small, powerful southpaw. I’d have to figure out the weight and these types of things, but it’s something that interests me no doubt.”
Now, if you’re outright dismissing this as a possibility, you probably shouldn’t be. Sure, it would be really surprising if McGregor boxes in 2020, especially if he beats Cerrone on Saturday. The UFC will want to capitalize on his momentum and have him fight say Jorge Masvidal or the winner of Khabib Nurmagmedov vs. Tony Ferguson.
But, down the road, if a boxing match with Pacquiao remains a possibility, the UFC could jump on board. Especially if McGregor is able to reclaim the lightweight title and his drawing power rises even more.
McGregor clarifies boxing aspirations
McGregor was also asked about whether we might see him leave MMA behind to focus on boxing, and the 31 year-old said this:
“It’ll be hard to leave the MMA game fully,” McGregor said. “I think that’s a great aspiration to have, to achieve that world boxing title. What a feather in the cap that would be, to be a multiple-time dual-weight mixed martial arts world champion and then to acquire a boxing world title.”
Yup. If McGregor could win a boxing championship, and most combat sports’ pundits would likely argue he can’t, it would be a remarkable achievement.
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