McGregor team ask Malignaggi to spar
Malignaggi says McGregor’s team have asked him to spar with Conor in his prep to fight Mayweather.
I did get called to go to camp with McGregor… so I started working out a little bit. I’m working on the details. If it’s something that’s gonna be feasible, it’ll be cool, ’cause I think I’ll have some inside stuff to talk about on fight night. It’s interesting that they called me… I’ve announced my retirement [and] I did call him out [when he got his boxing license]. I think that shows the competitive spirit and the willingness to learn. It shows you how hungry he is, he put that pride aside. It makes me respect him a little bit more.
Malignaggi: McGregor will fail in boxing
Malignaggi says McGregor would need to make $100million out of any boxing match because he will have his reputation destroyed.
I feel like most of the opinions of people that watch these kind of fights are probably ignorant and they don’t know anything, and that’s not even said in a disrespectful manner. You’ll get a lot of stupid people that will buy a lot of fights that aren’t worth the time…I think McGregor has some good striking skills. I think the Diaz brothers have some good striking skills, and there’s probably a few other guys, as well. The striking skills in mixed martial arts are a little bit different than the striking skills you need in boxing. In MMA, you can back yourself up with a Muay Thai clinch, or you can spear the guy and take him down, or a kick or throw. The angles are different when they’re coming from a pure boxing perspective. The fact that anybody that thinks it would be a risk for me to fight Conor McGregor in a boxing ring—I get a good laugh out of it. Ultimately, I think the fighters understand that, and because they understand that, I don’t think I ever see Conor McGregor boxing in my lifetime…The only way he’ll take a risk in boxing is if it’s a $100M risk. You may take a beating, but it’s worth it because of the money you’re doing it for. It’s going to totally destroy him. No matter who he boxes, it’s going to ruin his image…If you put him in boxing, you probably have to treat him as a prospect, just like these 20-year-old-prospects that turn pro and get put through the normal phases. You have to start Conor from the beginning. There’s no other way to put it.
Malignaggi on fighting McGregor: I would laugh my way through it
Malignaggi says he laughs at McGregor’s boxing skills.
After seeing that sparring session (with Chris van Heerden), I don’t think the guy would win the New York City Golden Gloves. I don’t think he would. I think he gets beaten in the New York City Golden Gloves, so the fact that you would put a guy that probably can’t even win the New York City Golden Gloves against the best fighter in the sport is almost laughable. Put him in with a guy like me, a two-time world champion, is still laughable. It’s comical. I would laugh my way through the whole fight, I really would. It would be like watching a Kevin Hart movie, you just sit there laughing. I would be sitting there laughing while I’m fighting the guy because it’s more comedy than it is anything else. Who the f-ck does he think he’s gonna scare in a boxing ring? I’ll put the camera guy against him and it will be competitive in a boxing ring. Does a guy who plays golf, is he able to get on the ice and play hockey because it’s a similar looking object that you’re hitting something with? It’s ridiculous.
McGregor to Malignaggi: ‘Who the f-ck is that guy?’
During the interview at Devenish nightclub in Belfast, McGregor responds to Malignaggi.
Who the f-ck is that guy? I don’t know who the f-ck that is, but I’ll slap the nose off him, if he mentions my name again.
Malignaggi: ‘I’ll knock McGregor’s beard off’
Former two-weight world boxing champion Malignaggi calls out McGregor.
At first I was telling Conor to stay in his lane and I was thinking ‘you know what, you are going to embarrass yourself’ but if you are really going to disrespect the sport of boxing like that then I would like to be the one to teach you that lesson. I would never disrespect your sport and tell everybody ‘you know what, I could beat the best fighter in the cage’. You shouldn’t come to our sport and tell everybody you could beat the best fighter in our sport in a ring. I know you apologised about absolutely nothing last fight but after I am done with you – I am going to knock the beard off you homie – you are going to be apologising for everything you have been trying to do to get into boxing