Reported: Conor McGregor Contacted About Malignaggi Fight
It appears as though some feelers have been sent out in regards to Conor McGregor’s return to boxing.
McGregor made his debut in the squared circle last year in Las Vegas. He fought undefeated Floyd “Money” Mayweather in a circus act of an event, that resulted in a 10th round TKO defeat for the Irishman. However, there still seems to be some demand for “The Notorious” in the world of boxing.
A potential return to the sport was laid out before McGregor’s fight with Mayweather even happened. In his training camp for Mayweather, McGregor brought in former WBA welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi as a sparring partner.
During one of their sparring sessions, Malignaggi found himself laying on the canvas. There are greatly differing stories as to what happened in the ring. Of course, McGregor claims he knocked the former welterweight champion down. But Malignaggi claims he simply slipped and fell, a common occurrence in the boxing world.
Despite the footage of the ordeal being released, it’s still unclear what transpired. Recently, Malignaggi was attending a promotional event for the upcoming Tony Bellew vs. Oleksandr Usyk fight. He was accompanied by famed boxing promoter Eddie Hearn. While Malignaggi was being interviewed, Hearn came over to join the conversation.
He mentioned the possibility of Malignaggi fighting McGregor, and said he wanted to promote the fight. Hearn then claimed that he has been in contact with McGregor’s team regarding the possibility:
“That’s what I said to him (Malignaggi) this morning,” Hearn said. “I’d love to do it, DAZN. Oh, they’d pay a lot of money for that fight. I said to Conor McGregor’s guys, I’m gonna float the numbers to them and see what they think.
“As I said to Conor McGregor’s guys, maybe he can beat Paulie Malignaggi. I don’t know. I don’t think he beats Khabib. He has been living a good life since he has been retired, so you never know how he’ll be coming back. But I’ll say one thing, it is a good fight.”
