Move aside Floyd Mayweather. Manny Pacquiao is about to steal one away from you.
There’s a new twist in the boxing superstar from the Philippines’ farewell tour – a fight with Mixed Martial Arts champion Conor McGregor.
So if Pacquiao is throwing his hat on the McGregor derby, which fight would be more interesting?
If Top Rank boss Bob Arum will have his way, he will let the fight happen even if it requires he to step aside.
Arum said in a recent interview that he was more than willing to make a fight between the Filipino ring icon and the Irish MMA superstar.
“That’s an easy fight for Manny, and I would love for that fight to happen, absolutely,” Arum said in an interview with TMZ Sports.
“For sure, Manny Pacquiao would love to fight Conor McGregor in boxing,” he added. “Any boxer would like to fight Conor McGregor, because they’d knock him out.”
Talks of the fight came through after McGregor had quipped that he might square-off against Pacquiao if a fight with Floyd Mayweather did not materialise. Pacquiao, on the other hand, had made it clear that he would gladly fight McGregor in a boxing match.
There’s a hitch though. the head of the UFC does not like the idea.
So while the trio of Pacquiao, McGregor and Arum are seemingly willing to work with each other, UFC President Dana White gave it a cold shoulder.
There lies the obstacle because McGregor is exclusively signed with the UFC, thus he needs White’s approval to compete in professional boxing match.
White had earlier thumbed down the fight even before talks could get more serious.
White has no problem with Pacquiao. It’s Arum that he does not want to deal with. The veteran fight promoter, however, is willing to step aside just for the fight to happen.
Arum is open to give the fighting Senator from the Philippines the right and the permission to fight McGregor anytime, on the condition that the money is right for the eight-division world champion.
Pacquiao is set to fight Australian welterweight contender Jeff Horn possibly at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on April 22. Only the venue and the finer details of the fight are left to be finalised.
The Pacquiao-Horn fight looms as the biggest boxing bonanza in Australia.
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