The much-trumpeted fight between Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao and UFC megastar Conor McGregor is still on the horizon for 2021.
Both men have teased a clash in the boxing code over the last year and McGregor’s manager Audie Attar says that fight remains very much on the agenda for 2021.
McGregor dabbled with boxing in August 2017 when he was stopped by Floyd Mayweather in 10 rounds at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. McGregor fought with promise early on, but a coasting Mayweather was merely biding his time.
Back in the UFC, the charismatic Irishman knocked out Donald Cerrone in 40-seconds at UFC 246 in January and will return 12 months later to rematch Dustin Poirier at UFC 257.
WBA Super 147lbs champion Pacquiao hasn’t fought since wresting that title from Keith Thurman (W12) in July 2019. A fight with McGregor seemed to gain credibility when the Filipino signed a deal with Attar’s Paradigm Sports earlier this year.
An undeniably lucrative McGregor-Pacquiao bout could now happen after the Irishman’s rematch with Poirier, according to Attar.
“As it relates to Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor, Conor has a fight on January 23 against Dustin Poirier,” Attar told Bloomberg.
“He will be handling business against Dustin first. But Conor has come out and said he wants to fight Manny, Manny has come out and said he wants to fight Conor.
“As I stated publicly before, we have had conversations. So that is a fight we are definitely going to make because both fighters want it and there seems to be an interest from the fans all around the world.”
