UFC star Conor McGregor caused a stir on Friday when he stated he was due to face Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao in his next bout, early in 2021.
“I’m boxing Manny Pacquiao next in the Middle East. It will be a true honour to have faced two of the greatest boxers of the modern era,” tweeted McGregor.
Audie Attar, who manages the Irish MMA icon and signed Pacquiao to a management deal with his Paradigm Sports vehicle earlier this year, later confirmed to ESPN that talks were, indeed, taking place. The UFC was apparently on board with the idea and would be co-promoters of the potential event.
But according to Sean Gibbons, Pacquiao’s long-time representative and President of MP Promotions, talk of a done deal is wide of the mark.
“It’s something that’s been talked about over the last year and it’s something I think could happen one day,” Gibbons told journalist Dan Rafael of Boxing Scene. “The senator is going to fight again in 2021. He’s absolutely looking to fight and Conor McGregor is on the list of guys the senator could fight.
“If the fight ever did happen, it would be a huge global event between two global superstars. But it’s a long way from [a deal]. This is just Conor playing around right now, wishful thinking.”
Yet a fight in the Middle East, commanding a huge site-fee, does seem a very realistic possibility for WBA Super 147lbs champion Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) as he winds down his legendary career while the Covid-19 Pandemic continues to block a live gate and reduce fighter purses.
Inside and outside of the ring, McGregor (0-1, 0 KOs) would surely be an attractive proposition, having generated over $600 million in a 10th round loss to Floyd Mayweather in 2017.
“A fight with Conor is something people have been trying to put together but there are still a lot of things that would have to be done,” Gibbons told Rafael. “And there are also other opponents out there that are interesting to the senator. There’s Mikey Garcia, which is a great fight, and other guys. But there’s nothing done for Conor to make any kind of announcement.
“This is just talk. That’s exactly what it is – a lot of talk, but there is also a lot of interest and everybody is open to the idea.”