The Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor boxing match in August was ? fine. Better than anyone expected, I guess. McGregor was clearly out of his element but hung on for 10 rounds before they stopped it. As a one-off flight of fancy, it did the job. No one is clamoring for a rematch.
Instead, McGregor the MMA fighter may next step into the boxing ring against Manny Pacquiao.
?If we can negotiate it, I have no problem. It is okay with both of us,? Pacquiao told Agence France-Presse when asked about reports he was seeking a match with McGregor. He added that his camp had approached McGregor?s about the possibility of a bout, ?but we have not yet had any follow-up conversations.?
Last month, Pacquiao tweeted out Thanksgiving greetings to McGregor, telling him to ?stay fit? and using the hashtag #realboxingmatch. It was kind of odd considering that neither fighter is from a country that celebrates Thanksgiving (though the holiday once was observed in Pacquiao?s native Philippines, a former U.S. territory).
Happy Thanksgiving @TheNotoriousMMA Stay fit my friend. #realboxingmatch #2018 pic.twitter.com/3ze20fZgpe
? Manny Pacquiao (@mannypacquiao) November 23, 2017
Pacquiao, 38, also has a history with Mayweather, having fought him in a hugely hyped, dreadfully boring 2015 bout that reportedly drew a then-record 4.6 million pay-per-view purchases. But the Mayweather-McGregor fight crushed that number with 6.7 worldwide million pay-per-view buys, and McGregor is estimated to have walked away with a payday in excess of $100 million.
Pacquiao, the only boxer to win titles in eight weight classes, lost his World Boxing Organization welterweight title to Australian Jeff Horn in July and hasn?t fought since. McGregor hasn?t stepped into the ring or the MMA octagon since his bout with Mayweather.
