Manny Pacquiao reveals why a fight with Conor McGregor never happened
Manny Pacquiao hasn’t fought since 2021, but that same year there were negotiations being had to set up a super fight between him and Connor McGregor.
Manny Pacquiao is coming back to the boxing world for the first time in four years. He and Mario Barrios will go toe-to-toe in a WBC welterweight title fight from MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 19th.
Manny vs. McGregor never in the cards
The Filipino hasn’t fought since he retired from boxing following his loss to Yordenis Ugas back in 2021. That same year there were talks about a potential fight between Pacquiao and UFC star Connor McGregor, but the super fight never happened.
That year, McGregor’s fight against Dustin Poirier in which he broke his leg complicated things, but there was apparently still a possibility of the bout taking place. According to Pacquiao, it was more of a question of legal complications that halted plans.
“I don’t know (if the Conor McGregor fight is dead). We have a problem with his manager,” Pacman told Covers while negotiations were still ongoing. “hey don’t listen to me, like I told them the situation, that I’ve been in boxing for many, many years. I told him I’m a nice person, I’m fair like that, but they don’t listen. They don’t believe me.”
Pacquiao “It’s all I think about”
McGregor had previously stepping in the ring with Floyd Mayweather Jr. back in 2017 in his boxing debut. He would eventually lost by a 10th round stoppage, but the merging of the two combat worlds was PPV gold, and Pacquiao and McGregor were looking to replicate that at one point.
McGregor hasn’t taken part in a UFC fight since 2021, and is currently dealing with a handful of legal issues. Meanwhile the former Senator of the Philippines is gearing up what would be a story book comeback that would break al the records in the boxing world.
He already has the record for winning the welterweight title at 40 years and 215 days old. He did that back in 2019, and now, six years later the Pacman is aiming to retake the belt on Saturday. “I’m coming back because boxing is my passion,” Pacquiao told ESPN. “It’s all I think about, and I really like to make history.”