Pacquiao says he’d fight McGregor…but only in boxing

MANILA, Philippines – If Conor McGregor’s push to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr doesn’t come through, Manny Pacquiao says he’s willing to step into the boxing ring with the UFC lightweight champion.

“In boxing? In boxing [I would fight McGregor] but not in [UFC], just boxing,” Pacquiao reportedly told Fox Sports, according to a report on Bleacher Report.

Talk of McGregor wanting to face Mayweather has circulated since last year, with both sides trading offers and counter-offers through the media for a fight that looks highly unlikely to ever happen. For one, Mayweather (49-0, 26 knockouts) has been retired since defeating Andre Berto in 2015, and McGregor is currently under contract to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, creating another barrier to negotiations.

McGregor had initially said he’d box Mayweather for $100 million, but Mayweather offered McGregor a $15 million payday to fight, arguing that he was the “A-side” and deserved a bigger payday.

“How can a guy talk about making $20 or $30 million if he has never made $8 or $9 million in a fight?,” said Mayweather on ESPN’s First Take.

UFC president Dana White responded by offering both $25 million each, plus a cut of pay-per-view revenue, an offer Mayweather responded to by calling White a “f–king comedian.”

McGregor had predicted that Mayweather would knock out Pacquiao in their 2015 encounter, which Mayweather won by unanimous decision in the most financially-lucrative fight in boxing history. Pacquiao says McGregor doesn’t have much of a chance against Mayweather if the Irishman fights under boxing rules.

“I don’t know if they are taking it seriously. It’s on the news but I don’t know if it will happen,” said Pacquiao.

“But if we are talking about Conor McGregor and boxing, it’s different. Boxing is different than MMA.”

Pacquiao’s next fight will be a WBO welterweight title defense against unbeaten Australian Jeff Horn on April 23. – Rappler.com