Former featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor will be back in the Octagon at the UFC 257 main event against Dustin Poirier on January 24th. However, the Irish mixed martial artist has another thing in mind- to don the boxing gloves again.
Since his defeat at the hands of boxing virtuoso Floyd Mayweather in the squared circle, McGregor has kept himself engaged in MMA only, without any notion of a rematch with “Money”, who has a clean 50-0 boxing record and has a super-exhibition fight scheduled against YouTuber Logan Paul.
However, the former two-division champion has confirmed to return as his pugilist persona and this time, his adversary is set to be the Filipino boxing legend and WBA (Super) welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao aka “PacMan”.
Pacquiao fight “should happen in 2021”, confirms Conor McGregor
While there has not been any official sanction or any scheduled date for the clash or even a response from Pacquiao himself, McGregor has confirmed that the bout will take place this year, in addition to claiming that the fight is “almost a certainty.”
“I’m hearing there’s a contract and all coming… it’s that close. We haven’t (spoken) but it should happen in 2021,” McGregor spoke exclusively to Sportsnet’s Arash Madani. (H/T BoxingScene)
Interestingly, Pacquiao is looking to be a desired opponent for many, not just Conor McGregor. Recently WBC interim lightweight champion Ryan Garcia, who has been throwing challenges at Gervonta Davis, addressed a fight with PacMan as his dream contest.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao, who was last seen in action against Keith Thurman back in July 2019 for the WBA (Super) welterweight title, has asserted that he is ready to have two fights this year, but only from April onwards.
“We still have sessions in March so there’s no way I am going to fight during that time,” the 42-year-old told Daily Tribune in mid-December, “I think I can do two [fights] next year.”
All in all, McGregor’s return as a boxer is sure to carve him a path to clinch a world championship, as WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman recently outlined how the mixed martial art stalwart can become a boxing titleholder.
“He (McGregor) needs to face and defeat a ranked fighter, then he would be eligible to be ranked and to compete for a title,” Sulaiman told SunSport last week.
Do you think Manny Pacquiao will nod to a fight with Conor McGregor this year? Who will have the upper hand in a boxing contest? Let us know in the comments below.
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