Conor McGregor has apologised for his unprovoked attack on a man in a Dublin pub
Conor McGregor GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Ethan Miller

KEY POINTS

  • Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor were recently linked to a potential boxing match
  • Talks of the Pacquiao-McGregor bout have died down after the Irishman lost to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257
  • George Foreman believes McGregor can beat Pacquiao in a boxing match

Up until UFC 257 in January, the rumblings of a possible boxing bout between eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao and two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor were at an all-time high.

The general sentiment was that if McGregor could get past Dustin Poirier in their lightweight bout, the Irish superstar would eventually go on to challenge for the UFC lightweight championship and then cross back over to boxing to meet Pacquiao in a big-money bout.

Manny Pacquiao
Boxer Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines works out in advance of his WBO welterweight bout against Jessie Vargas, in Los Angeles, California, Oct. 26, 2016. Reuters/Lucy Nicholson

McGregor has competed in boxing once before, losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a high-profile bout back in 2017.

Unfortunately, McGregor ended up getting knocked out by Poirier in the second round of their highly-anticipated rematch, effectively ending the buzz surrounding the match against Pacquiao.

Indeed, the Pacquiao-McGregor bout was a must-see for combat sports fans, but a lot of those who study and follow the "Sweet Science" were thinking that the Filipino boxing legend would dance circles around the cocky Irishman and eventually finish him off somewhere in the middle rounds.

One boxing legend however believes that “The Notorious” has what it takes to take down “Pac-Man”.

George Foreman
Former heavyweight champion George Foreman gestures before the heavyweight title unification boxing match between Ukrainian IBF and WBO titleholder Vladimir Klitschko against British WBA champion David Haye in Hamburg July 2, 2011. Reuters

In an interview with The Daily Star, Foreman said that McGregor has adjusted well enough to boxing that he can beat one of the sport’s all-time greats in Pacquiao.

“I think if he has a fight with Pacquiao he can actually beat him, good rules, over 10 rounds, McGregor can beat him,” Foreman stunningly said. “He’s already adjusted to boxing, he’s not going to do good in MMA anymore.”

“Pacquiao is very good as a matter of fact, but McGregor can beat him in a boxing match,” he added.

Indeed, McGregor is one of the most technically-sound strikers in mixed martial arts, but surely, many would argue that the two sports have vastly different levels of striking.

Still, Foreman has quite a level of credibility, being a former boxing world champion himself.

Foreman is a former WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight champion, as well as an Olympic gold medalist. He retired with a 76-5 pro record.

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