UFC Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor has enlisted the help of former boxing champion Paul Malignaggi to help him prepare for his professional boxing debut.
McGregor is scheduled to fight boxing legend Floyd “Money” Mayweather in a 12-round fight that will be contested at 154 pounds. The fight will take place Aug. 26 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“I did get called to go to camp with Conor McGregor,” Malignaggi said in a recent interview. “I was surprised because I haven’t really been training or I haven’t really been in the gym. I started working out a little bit and I’m working out details to spar with McGregor.
“If it’s something that’s going to be feasible, it will be cool, because I think I will have some inside stuff to talk about on fight night.”
Malignaggi once called out McGregor after the UFC champion applied for a boxing license back in December.
“I did call him out but I think that shows the character of the man,” Malignaggi said.
“He could have said ‘screw that kid, he called me out, I’m not going to put him in my training camp’, but I think it shows the competitive spirit and the willingness to want to learn on the part of McGregor.
“It shows you how hungry he is because he put that pride aside. It’s not easy to put that pride aside when you’re a fighter. It made me respect him a little more.”
