In a year in which it seems anything can happen it now looks like Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor might meet in a boxing match. There is no real official reporting here but there are social media posts from both men and comments from insiders like Dana White insinuating that something might be brewing between these two. The Floyd Mayweather vs McGregor fight was a massive event that garnered a lot of attention despite it being an over glorified exhibition. McGregor was still a championship level mixed martial artist and was (still probably is) as massive draw and Mayweather has been the biggest money maker in all of fight sports from his pay-per view buys to his insane contract with Showtime. The build up showed the excesses of prefight decadence and shit talking. People were pumped up for the fight, way more so than any boxing match or UFC fight that I could remember for a long time.
The fight itself was entertaining as McGregor gave it a good go and Mayweather mixed it up with Conor. I know Manny is 39 and naturally much smaller than McGregor but I think he is going to chew him up if they fight. I haven’t watched the Mayweather vs McGregor fight in a long time but from what I do remember is Floyd more or less carrying Conor and then having his way with him when he flicked the on switch. Manny Pacquiao, though a nice public figure, is not one to carry opponents. The only instance that I can remember where that could be said is him easing up on Antonio Margarito down the stretch but by that point he had disfigured his face and broke his orbital bone. McGregor is a pretty good to great cage fighter but I would not pick him to do well vs the top guys in boxing who I think would have a field day with him. McGregor is still a draw but Pacquiao does not have the dynamic personality of Floyd Mayweather. Pacquiao was a big seller because of how talented he was and his association with Mayweather and the build to their fight. I feel like McGregor would really have to carry the promotion in this scenario and I don’t quite know how interested Joe Average is in this fight or the boxing/MMA hardcores and casuals. There is a trend in fight sports of sideshow fights becoming big events as the Money/Mac fight proved, Tyson/RJJ might prove, the Jake/Logan Paul fights, and now this. Maybe this is where we are headed with white collar boxing eclipsing the fights of real merit. Lets see if this comes to fruition.
Prediction if this comes off: Manny Pacquiao by TKO maybe in 5 or 6
Jersey George's Boxing Blog 