Tag: Pacquiao next fight

Conor McGregor vs. Manny Pacquiao in Middle East? Could be

Conor McGregor tweeted that his next fight would be against Manny Pacquiao somewhere in the Middle East.

Conor McGregor says a lot of things. One of his latest comments might be of interest to boxing fans.

The MMA star and one-time boxer tweeted that his next fight would be against Manny Pacquiao somewhere in the Middle East, although he gave no date or specific site.

Should we believe him? Maybe.

His manager, Audie Attar, later told ESPN that McGregor and Pacquiao are indeed negotiating to fight in December or January but that no agreement has been reached.

Attar said the Middle East is one possible site.

McGregor, 32, is known best in boxing circles for his 10th-round knockout loss to Floyd Mayweather in their massive event in 2017.

Pacquiao, 41, hasn’t fought since he outpointed Keith Thurman to win a welterweight title in July.

 

Conor McGregor vs. Manny Pacquiao in Middle East? Could be

Conor McGregor tweeted that his next fight would be against Manny Pacquiao somewhere in the Middle East.

Conor McGregor says a lot of things. One of his latest comments might be of interest to boxing fans.

The MMA star and one-time boxer tweeted that his next fight would be against Manny Pacquiao somewhere in the Middle East, although he gave no date or specific site.

Should we believe him? Maybe.

His manager, Audie Attar, later told ESPN that McGregor and Pacquiao are indeed negotiating to fight in December or January but that no agreement has been reached.

Attar said the Middle East is one possible site.

McGregor, 32, is known best in boxing circles for his 10th-round knockout loss to Floyd Mayweather in their massive event in 2017.

Pacquiao, 41, hasn’t fought since he outpointed Keith Thurman to win a welterweight title in July.

 

Manny Pacquiao to retire after one or two more fights: Freddie Roach

Manny Pacquiao will only fight “once or twice” before retiring, according to his trainer Freddie Roach.

Editor’s note: This article originally was published on DAZN.com.

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Manny Pacquiao will only fight “once or twice” before retiring, according to his trainer Freddie Roach.

Pacquiao (62-4-2, 39 KOs) last fought on July 20, 2019, when he took the welterweight title of previously undefeated Keith Thurman via split decision in Las Vegas.

One of boxing’s most recognizable active competitors is frequently linked with many potential opponents, but his camp this week laughed off the prospect of him following in the footsteps of Floyd Mayweather to face UFC star Conor McGregor.

Meanwhile, Roach said Pacquiao will not fight in 2020 and that the clock is ticking on anyone who wants to step into the ring with the Filipino legend.

“He won’t fight this year,” Roach told BoxingScene.com. “But if this (the coronavirus pandemic) ever goes away … I think Manny will fight once or twice more before he becomes the president of his country. And then he will retire.”

Pacquiao has already declared his intention to run for president in the Philippines in 2022.

Mikey Garcia was a leading candidate to face Pacquiao this year the pandemic evidently brought talks to a halt. Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. are other big-name opponents that fans would like to see Pacquiao face before he calls it quits.

“He will fight again, I feel, and from when I’ve talked to him, he wants to fight once or twice more,” he said. “But the thing is, it could be anywhere from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia, anywhere. They were talking about Mikey Garcia and I said, ‘Yeah, that’s the perfect fight for Manny.’

“But I don’t think we’ll really know until this [pandemic] is over.”

Manny Pacquiao to retire after one or two more fights: Freddie Roach

Manny Pacquiao will only fight “once or twice” before retiring, according to his trainer Freddie Roach.

Editor’s note: This article originally was published on DAZN.com.

***

Manny Pacquiao will only fight “once or twice” before retiring, according to his trainer Freddie Roach.

Pacquiao (62-4-2, 39 KOs) last fought on July 20, 2019, when he took the welterweight title of previously undefeated Keith Thurman via split decision in Las Vegas.

One of boxing’s most recognizable active competitors is frequently linked with many potential opponents, but his camp this week laughed off the prospect of him following in the footsteps of Floyd Mayweather to face UFC star Conor McGregor.

Meanwhile, Roach said Pacquiao will not fight in 2020 and that the clock is ticking on anyone who wants to step into the ring with the Filipino legend.

“He won’t fight this year,” Roach told BoxingScene.com. “But if this (the coronavirus pandemic) ever goes away … I think Manny will fight once or twice more before he becomes the president of his country. And then he will retire.”

Pacquiao has already declared his intention to run for president in the Philippines in 2022.

Mikey Garcia was a leading candidate to face Pacquiao this year the pandemic evidently brought talks to a halt. Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. are other big-name opponents that fans would like to see Pacquiao face before he calls it quits.

“He will fight again, I feel, and from when I’ve talked to him, he wants to fight once or twice more,” he said. “But the thing is, it could be anywhere from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia, anywhere. They were talking about Mikey Garcia and I said, ‘Yeah, that’s the perfect fight for Manny.’

“But I don’t think we’ll really know until this [pandemic] is over.”

Manny Pacquiao’s coach rips idea of fight with Conor McGregor

According to one of Manny Pacquiao’s coaches, it would make no sense for the boxing champion to welcome Conor McGregor back to the ring.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on MMAJunkie.com.

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According to one of Manny Pacquiao’s longtime coaches, it would make no sense for the boxing champion to welcome Conor McGregor back to the ring.

When Pacquiao signed with Paradigm Sports Management, the same agency as McGregor, earlier this year, talk of a potential showdown immediately surfaced. That’s only been strengthened by McGregor stating his desire to challenge another big name in boxing ever since his lucrative pay-per-view fight with Floyd Mayweather.

Justin Fortune, Pacquiao’s strength and conditioning coach, sees right through that and doesn’t think there’s any point to fighting McGregor.

“Why even make that guy rich?” Fortune told The Manila Times this week. “And it won’t do absolutely nothing for Pacquiao as far as his legacy (is concerned). Remember, this is just my opinion: Manny goes down as the greatest fighter in history when he finishes, because no one has done what he accomplished in boxing.

“Why destroy your legacy for a bum like McGregor?”

Pacquiao (62-7-2 boxing) has been considered one of the greatest boxers of his generation, as he’s the only man to ever win 12 major world titles in eight different divisions. Even at 41, a Pacquiao fight against 32-year-old McGregor, the former UFC two-division champion, would figure to be a mismatch.

Odds released on a hypothetical fight in February listed Pacquiao as a -250 favorite, with McGregor coming back as a +190 underdog.

[lawrence-related id=13004,12622,12513]

Manny Pacquiao’s coach rips idea of fight with Conor McGregor

According to one of Manny Pacquiao’s coaches, it would make no sense for the boxing champion to welcome Conor McGregor back to the ring.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on MMAJunkie.com.

***

According to one of Manny Pacquiao’s longtime coaches, it would make no sense for the boxing champion to welcome Conor McGregor back to the ring.

When Pacquiao signed with Paradigm Sports Management, the same agency as McGregor, earlier this year, talk of a potential showdown immediately surfaced. That’s only been strengthened by McGregor stating his desire to challenge another big name in boxing ever since his lucrative pay-per-view fight with Floyd Mayweather.

Justin Fortune, Pacquiao’s strength and conditioning coach, sees right through that and doesn’t think there’s any point to fighting McGregor.

“Why even make that guy rich?” Fortune told The Manila Times this week. “And it won’t do absolutely nothing for Pacquiao as far as his legacy (is concerned). Remember, this is just my opinion: Manny goes down as the greatest fighter in history when he finishes, because no one has done what he accomplished in boxing.

“Why destroy your legacy for a bum like McGregor?”

Pacquiao (62-7-2 boxing) has been considered one of the greatest boxers of his generation, as he’s the only man to ever win 12 major world titles in eight different divisions. Even at 41, a Pacquiao fight against 32-year-old McGregor, the former UFC two-division champion, would figure to be a mismatch.

Odds released on a hypothetical fight in February listed Pacquiao as a -250 favorite, with McGregor coming back as a +190 underdog.

[lawrence-related id=13004,12622,12513]

Manny Pacquiao vs. Conor McGregor? Filipino fans like the idea

Manny Pacquiao’s business partner says Filipino fans want to see the future Hall of Famer fight Conor McGregor.

Rumor has it that Senator Manny Pacquiao is considering a run for President of The Philippines in 2022. The election is in May of that year, which is 21 months from now.

That might mean the future Hall of Famer’s final fight or fights will take place in that window. And he doesn’t seem interested in fighting amid the coronavirus pandemic, which is hitting the Asian country hard at the moment. That could further shrink his window of availability to fight, meaning we might see only one more event involving Pacquiao, 41.

So who can we expect to see him face in that outing?

Jayke Joson, a special assistant and business partner of Pacquiao, believes the fighter’s fans in his home country have their eye on one prospective opponent.

“I have talked to nine out of 10 Filipinos and they really like UFC star Conor McGregor as the senator’s last opponent before he leaves professional boxing for good,” Joson told the Manila Standard, adding that those close to him also want him to fight only one more time.

“I think we will know about Senator Pacquiao’s plans in boxing as soon as the COVID-19 virus crisis is over. For the senator, this is not the time for a boxing fight. But now is the time for all Filipinos to unite in fighting and knocking out the coronavirus crisis in the Philippines.

“It’s really up to the senator when he will retire from boxing. But many Filipinos want our senator to take on McGregor because that will be a great fight.”

That matchup obviously makes sense from a business standpoint. Floyd Mayweather and McGregor generated 4.4 million pay-per-view buys and nine-figure paydays for the fighters in an August 2017 mismatch, which Mayweather won by knockout.

A meeting between Pacquiao and McGregor – both of whom have expressed interest in the fight – would be no more competitive than the novice McGregor’s initial foray into boxing. Pacquiao, coming off a victory over Keith Thurman in July of last year, could win more easily than Mayweather did.

Still, there’s no doubt the public would buy into it, meaning both would make a fortune.

Of course, Pacquiao could also face an actual boxer. Mikey Garcia reportedly had been a leading candidate to be his next opponent. After all, with so much money on the table, McGrgor, 32, will always be there.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Conor McGregor? Filipino fans like the idea

Manny Pacquiao’s business partner says Filipino fans want to see the future Hall of Famer fight Conor McGregor.

Rumor has it that Senator Manny Pacquiao is considering a run for President of The Philippines in 2022. The election is in May of that year, which is 21 months from now.

That might mean the future Hall of Famer’s final fight or fights will take place in that window. And he doesn’t seem interested in fighting amid the coronavirus pandemic, which is hitting the Asian country hard at the moment. That could further shrink his window of availability to fight, meaning we might see only one more event involving Pacquiao, 41.

So who can we expect to see him face in that outing?

Jayke Joson, a special assistant and business partner of Pacquiao, believes the fighter’s fans in his home country have their eye on one prospective opponent.

“I have talked to nine out of 10 Filipinos and they really like UFC star Conor McGregor as the senator’s last opponent before he leaves professional boxing for good,” Joson told the Manila Standard, adding that those close to him also want him to fight only one more time.

“I think we will know about Senator Pacquiao’s plans in boxing as soon as the COVID-19 virus crisis is over. For the senator, this is not the time for a boxing fight. But now is the time for all Filipinos to unite in fighting and knocking out the coronavirus crisis in the Philippines.

“It’s really up to the senator when he will retire from boxing. But many Filipinos want our senator to take on McGregor because that will be a great fight.”

That matchup obviously makes sense from a business standpoint. Floyd Mayweather and McGregor generated 4.4 million pay-per-view buys and nine-figure paydays for the fighters in an August 2017 mismatch, which Mayweather won by knockout.

A meeting between Pacquiao and McGregor – both of whom have expressed interest in the fight – would be no more competitive than the novice McGregor’s initial foray into boxing. Pacquiao, coming off a victory over Keith Thurman in July of last year, could win more easily than Mayweather did.

Still, there’s no doubt the public would buy into it, meaning both would make a fortune.

Of course, Pacquiao could also face an actual boxer. Mikey Garcia reportedly had been a leading candidate to be his next opponent. After all, with so much money on the table, McGrgor, 32, will always be there.

Manny Pacquiao won’t rule out possible fight with GGG at 154

Manny Pacquiao said he won’t fight above 147 pounds, which would preclude a fight with Gennadiy Golovkin, but then said 154 is possible.

Those who are intrigued by the prospect of a fight between Manny Pacquiao and middleweight Gennadiy Golovkin will probably never see it.

Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, threw out Triple-G’s name during a recent discussion about potential opponents for his longtime protégé and the subject became a talker. Would Pacquiao dare move up from 147 to 160 and face Golovkin? Would they meet at 154, four pounds heavier than the catch weight for Pacquiao’s fight with Antonio Margarito in 2010?

The answers to those question seemed to be “no” and “no” in an interview with the Manila Times.

Pacquiao told the newspaper that he will not fight above 147 pounds, which would preclude a meeting between two of boxing biggest stars.

“As long as it is 147 pounds, I am OK with that. But if it’s above that, it’s too big for me,” Pacquiao said.

Pacquiao was successful against the naturally bigger Margarito, winning by a near-shutout decision at AT&T Stadium outside Dallas. However, that was a decade ago. The Filipino icon is 41 now and less inclined to take such risks.

“No more,” he said. “I did not really have a hard time then, but he was too big.”

Then Pacquiao, perhaps having fun, backtracked a bit, leaving the door open a crack for a meeting at 154 if the Kazakhstani could make the weight.

“154? Hmmm. It depends, I guess,” he said, “but there’s no negotiation [between the camps].”

We’re still waiting to hear who Pacquiao will fight next. Mikey Garcia, who like Pacquiao is a small welterweight, reportedly is a leading candidate.

Dana White: ‘I don’t care’ about Conor McGregor vs. Manny Pacquiao

UFC’s Dana White has no interest even discussing a prospective fight between MMA star Conor McGregor and boxer Manny Pacquiao.

Conor McGregor drifted off into retirement earlier this year after collecting a first-round stoppage against Donald Cerrone in January.

It appeared that he was unhappy with the UFC not booking him to face current interim UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje for the opportunity to fight his rival, Khabib Nurmagomedov, who McGregor lost to in 2018.

“I laid out a plan and a method that was the right move, the right methods to go with,” McGregor said about his retirement because of being “bored of the game” back in June. “And they always want to balk at that and not make it happen or just drag it on. Whatever I say, they want to go against it to show some kind of power.

“They should have just done the fight — me and Justin for the interim title — and just kept the ball rolling.”

The retirement has been taken with a grain of salt by most considering that the Irishman has talked about leaving the sport many times in the past.

As expected, McGregor began to tease at the possibility of returning to the fight game with a cryptic tweet on July 30.

But what exactly was McGregor accepting? There was a challenge thrown out by rising star Khamzat Chimaev, who is friends with Nurmagomedov.

When asked about the tweet after UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas, White believed that was what McGregor meant.

“That was Khamzat,” White said. “Khamzat posted, ‘I want Nate Diaz, (Jorge) Masvidal, or McGregor,’ and McGregor said, ‘I accept.’”

But White shot down the possibility of the fight considering that Chimaev is relatively new to the UFC and his belief that McGregor is remaining retired.

But there was another McGregor tweet that soon followed that raised a few eyebrows.

It means “I accept” in Tagalog, the native tongue of the Philippines. Could McGregor be alluding to a boxing match with Manny Pacquiao? The former two-division champion has teased the idea that he could step back into the boxing ring again after being stopped by Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017. McGregor has mentioned his desire to box again, and with both he and Pacquiao sharing a management team, it may not be that far from reality.

But Dana White simply isn’t interested in that fight at all.

“I don’t care about any of that s—,” he said.

Obviously, White would prefer for McGregor to make money for the UFC than boxing, but as we have all come to learn, Conor McGregor does what he wants. We’ll have to see if this fight comes to fruition.