Pacquiao vs McGregor? Why not, says the promoter

Manny Pacquiao is considering a possible fight with Irish mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor as he plans his return to the ring, representatives of the Philippine boxing icon told AFP.

Sean Gibbons, president of Manny Pacquiao Promotions, told AFP in an email that a fight between the eight-division world champion and McGregor would be a “tremendous global event.”

Pacquiao, 41, has not fought since winning the WBA welterweight crown with an impressive win over Keith Thurman in Las Vegas in July of last year.

A fight against McGregor, who fought welterweight king Floyd Mayweather in a money-spinning 2017 fight, would guarantee Pacquiao another lucrative payday.

Pacquiao has successfully combined a political career in the Philippines, where he is a senator-elect, while continuing to box at the highest level.

Gibbons said the two sides were “a long way off” from agreeing to a fight, but confirmed that “it is (definitely) one of the fights being considered for the senator’s return in 2020.”

“The idea has come up a few times for Senator Pacquiao and Conor McGregor to fight,” Gibbons said, adding that McGregor had shown in his fight with Mayweather that he was capable of challenging “the best fighters in the world.”

Earlier Friday, McGregor, who has a long history of making outlandish claims on social media, had said on Twitter that he was “boxing Manny Pacquiao in the Middle East.”

“It will be a true honor to have faced two of the greatest boxers of the modern era,” he added.

Meanwhile, in an ESPN report, McGregor’s manager Audie Attar said serious talks were underway about a Pacquiao fight, with a possible December or January date in the Middle East under consideration.