PAULIE MALIGNAGGI has talked up a super-fight between former sparring partner Conor McGregor and Jake Paul.
YouTuber-turned boxer Paul has called out McGregor ever since embarking on his polarising prizefighting career.
The 26-year-old has even offered to face the Irishman in the cage as well as the ring.
And McGregor’s old sparring rival Malignaggi fancies Paul’s chances against the ex-UFC champion in both boxing and MMA.
He told Lord Ping: “Jake just needs the ability to hang in there and he can start to trouble him a little. He can put himself in the position to win the fight.
“I think McGregor’s boxing is brutally bad, but at this point, even in MMA, if you hang with him he will get uncomfortable.”
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Malignaggi has rowed with McGregor ever since their infamous sparring sessions in 2017.
They sparred before the McGregor’s crossover blockbuster against boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, which he lost in ten rounds.
But after images and videos were leaked – including a disputed knockdown – the American stormed out of the camp.
Malignaggi, 42, has rivalled McGregor, 34, ever since and continues to aim digs his way.
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He said: “Jake has a high school wrestler background so he would not be totally out of his element in the cage.
“He’d need to be alert to his kicks, but McGregor had absolutely no balls.
“If you make him just a little bit uncomfortable, you are going to put yourself in a position where you might win the fight.
“You can make him uncomfortable by beating on him – or if he’s beating on you – if you just hang in the fight he begins to get nervous and paranoid – he’s not a true fighter.
“He looks for the first window to jump out of. He’s got athletic ability but his anxiety levels get high. That’s why he gets so tired in fights.
“This guy posts pictures of him running up mountains, swimming 25 miles, bicycling through the desert – just to make himself look like he’s Rocky during training and then he gets in the cage and he’s tired after 30 seconds.
“He’s got no balls. There’s no way you can get that tired unless your anxiety levels are through the roof. He gets scared in there.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
