PAULIE MALIGNAGGI claimed he embarrassed Conor McGregor in sparring – which is why he believes the full footage will never be released.
The feud between the two started in the build up to McGregor’s lucrative crossover boxing bout with Floyd Mayweather in 2017.
Malignaggi ripped into the Irishman’s chances, which resulted in him being offered the chance to join the UFC superstar’s camp.
The former world champion boxer sparred twice, but after leaked images and footage emerged, he stormed out of the camp.
One clip included Malignaggi being put down, which the American argued was caused by a push not a punch.
It has kept the rivalry alive to this day with no sign of the full sparring sessions ever being revealed.
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Malignaggi, 42, told Betway: “I give Conor credit because he also knows his fanbase has a very low IQ.
“He knows he can play them if he wants to – and he does. So I don’t think we will ever get the real footage of the spar.
“I actually know you’ll never get the real footage because the real footage embarrasses Conor.
“So you’ll probably still continue to have these opinions of it.”
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Malignaggi – retired from boxing during the spars – later lost to McGregor’s ex-training partner Artem Lobov, 36, in a bare-knuckle bout.
Meanwhile McGregor, 34, was beaten by Mayweather, 46, in ten rounds of what was his pro boxing debut.
And after sharing the ring with him, Malignaggi knew the result was inevitable ahead of time.
He said: “Coming out of that spar I thought this has got to be the biggest money heist in the history of money.
“This guy is so terrible and he’s going to fight Mayweather, probably the best boxer in the history of the sport.
“Even though he’s retired, Mayweather is going to beat this guy with his eyes closed. And that’s basically how it went. He played with them.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
