Conor McGregor seems more focused than he has in a long time leading up to his clash with Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone at UFC 246 this weekend, which is good news for fight fans who are hoping he stays committed to competing three times in 2020. Although McGregor has a clear vision for the next stages of his UFC career, he hasn’t neglected his ambitious boxing goals either.
During a recent interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, McGregor revealed that he had an offer to box Manny Pacquiao but the timing just wasn’t right. He also floated the idea of getting in the ring with Paulie Malignaggi, who he sparred with (and had a war of words with) in preparation for the Floyd Mayweather spectacle.
It remains to be seen which fight gets done first, but McGregor tells Helwani that he will box again and he intends to hold a boxing world title before it’s all said and done. Check out his thoughts about the potential bouts in the video clip embedded below.
As far as Floyd Mayweather is concerned, McGregor says he is still owed a rematch… this time inside the octagon.
“I know I’d beat Floyd if we rematched and when we rematch… It was supposed to be me boxing, then we’ll do a mixed martial arts bout. That’s what was said, and it came out of his mouth as well. It was not written, but it was a verbal agreement.”
We all know Floyd would never agree to get in the octagon with McGregor, but it certainly seems like it’s just a matter of time before the Irish superstar crosses over into the world of boxing once again.