MMA

MANNY PACQUIAO has been urged to ‘ride off into the sunset’ with a deserved farewell fight against Floyd Mayweather or Conor McGregor. The Filipino icon is nearing the end of his illustrious career, which has seen him win titles in a historic eight divisions.
George Kambosos was a sparring partner of Manny Pacquiao’sCredit: Supplied
Floyd Mayweather beat Conor McGregor in 2017Credit: AFP or licensors
Two final fights have been touted before Pacquiao – who is yet to return since beating Keith Thurman in 2017 – makes a potential run in the 2022 Philippines election.
Mikey Garcia, 32, is in talks to welcome PacMan back, leaving room for someone else to share the ring with Pacquaio one last time.
George Kambosos, a trusted ex-sparring partner of the all-time great, called for his mentor to close out his career with a mega-money payday against Mayweather or McGregor.
Kambosos, 27, told SunSport: “I’d like to see him fight Mikey Garcia and for the last one, let him ride off into the sunset, if there’s a McGregor fight there or a massive money fight.
“Maybe even a Mayweather rematch or something like that, let him ride off into the sunset.
“He’s deserved to finish up his career, make as much money as he can because he deserves it. The guy’s been fighting the best for like three decades now.
“He’s incredible and the amount of world titles he’s won or world champions he’s ran through it’s crazy.”
Pacquiao, 42, and Mayweather, 44, spent five long years in negotiations before they finally agreed terms in 2015.
Floyd Mayweather outpointed Manny Pacquiao in 2015Credit: AFP or licensors
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The long wait proved a blockbuster success, with a record 4.6million pay-per-views sold
But the action in the ring was less eventful, with Mayweather expertly boxing to a 12-round decision.
Pacquiao has always maintained he fought with an injured right rotator cuff and since campaigned unsuccessfully for a rematch.
With Mayweather in retirement after beating McGregor in 2017, the former two-weight UFC champ emerged as another lucrative option for PacMan.
Both are managed by Paradigm Sports and looked on course to share the ring this year.
That was until McGregor, 32, was knocked out by Dustin Poirier, also 32, in January.
The pair are set for a summer trilogy bout, putting the Irishman’s return to the ring on hold as he fights for his career in the UFC.
Manny Pacquiao beat Keith Thurman in his last fightCredit: USA TODAY Sports
Conor McGregor was knocked out by Dustin PoirierCredit: Getty
But Kambosos believes such is McGregor’s popularity, a super-fight with Pacquiao will never lose demand, no matter his circumstances in the cage.
He said: “McGregor is such a big name in the world, it doesn’t matter whether he’s coming off maybe five losses, he would still generate money and people will wanna watch him.
“I love McGregor, he’s great at what he does, he’s done amazing stuff for the UFC and it would be a great fight.
“Obviously Manny is an unbelievable athlete, super fast, but we saw glimpses of what McGregor can do against Mayweather.
“So, it would be a good fight, it’s all up to them, Manny would win but how the fight would pan out? That remains to be seen.”
Kambosos, who challenges for Teofimo Lopez’s undisputed lightweight crown in May, first linked up with Pacquiao in 2017.
Manny Pacquiao pictured with George Kambosos
George Kambosos fights Teofimo Lopez in May
He provided the speed needed to prepare PacMan to face Aussie Jeff Horn, which he later lost controversially on points.
Kambosos stuck around for Pacquiao’s fights with Lucas Matthysse and Adrien Broner – which were both won – and the sessions were box office.
He said: “People would have paid a lot of money to watch myself and Manny spar.
“We’re both super fast, super explosive, we move great, and will sit there and fight, take shots, give shots.
“It was back and forth action and great for my experience and to end up doing like 250 rounds with the guy, I sit back and say, ‘Well, what’s Teofimo Lopez going to do to me?’
“It’s nothing that I haven’t seen already, or felt in the trenches with a guy like that.”
Boxer George Kambosos works out with punchbag ahead of Teofimo Lopez fight More

PAULIE MALIGNAGGI has been offered a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship title fight against Luis Palomino. The former two-weight boxing champion debuted in BKFC in 2019, losing a disputed points decision against Artem Lobov.
Paulie Malignaggi was beaten by Artem Lobov in 2019Credit: Getty – Contributor
Luis Palomino is the BKFC lightweight champion
Malignaggi broke his right hand during the grudge match against Conor McGregor’s training partner, and announced his retirement afterwards.
But in an interview on The Schmozone, the New Yorker revealed BKFC president Dave Feldman opened talks for a return.
And despite defeat to Lobov, he would be in line for a title shot against lightweight champion Palomino, an ex-MMA fighter.
Malignaggi, 40, said: “Listen, BKFC paid me well, and obviously I think they would pay me good money again, but it would have to be more than money.
“And Palomino has a championship. For me to kind of get that feather in my cap, if that deal can be worked out, I’m open to that as well.
“Palomino is a great fighter, he won a tournament to win that championship, so he’s not just a guy who has a random championship.
“So for me, to be able to pick up some kind of other accolade like that, with the combination of accolades that I’ve accomplished in my career that would be a kind of cool thing to finish up on.
“And I can do it all in one night, you know. So, if that presents itself, it’s definitely something that interests me.”
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Malignaggi added negotiations are at a preliminary stage, with no time frame on the potential comeback set.
The American retired in March 2017 after defeat to Brit Sam Eggington, but in the same year he hit the headlines for his feud with McGregor.
Malignaggi sparred the UFC superstar twice, but released images and footage of the sessions caused him to storm out.
He failed in attempts to fight McGregor, and ended up settling for Lobov, and still argues his defeat against the Russian till this day.
Malignaggi also revealed he was approached about fighting YouTuber Jake Paul, 24, who is 2-0 and weighs around FOUR STONE more than the retired boxer.
Conor McGregor and Paulie Malignaggi sparred in 2017
YouTuber Jake Paul is 2-0 in his boxing careerCredit: Instagram
He said: “Celebrity boxing actually wanted my permission to try and sell me as the next guy on the Jake Paul hit list.
“But I was like, ‘I don’t know how that works’. He’s kind of a big guy, I don’t think that’s going to get sanctioned.
“They were like, ‘Well, you know, he’s kind of progressing and you’re like a retired fighter and we don’t want a big knockout puncher so he’s not at a risk to hurt him too badly but at the same time has the legitimacy as a champion. You’re smaller, he’s bigger so there’s advantages on both sides.
“I was like I guess, but I don’t know if Jake is yet ready to fight a real, even legitimate ex-boxer.
“I think he’s got to progress where he’s going.”
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PAULIE MALIGNAGGI called Conor McGregor’s coaches ‘cheerleaders’ who ‘don’t know anything at all’. Malignaggi has feuded with the ex-UFC champion since 2017, when they shared two infamous sparring sessions.
Conor McGregor sparred Paulie Malignaggi twice in 2017Credit: Refer to Caption
Owen Roddy, Artem Lobov, Conor McGegor, Audie Attar and John KavanaghCredit: Sportsfile – Subscription
Having been behind the scenes in McGregor’s camp, the New Yorker has seen the Irishman’s training up close and personal.
And Malignaggi blasted McGregor’s camp, as he was asked about Canelo Alvarez’s trainer Eddy Reynoso offering to help coach the southpaw.
Malignaggi, 40, said on The Schmozone: “I don’t know that Reynoso can help Conor in such a short period of time.
“I think it’s more of a media-type thing. Because Reynoso is the hot trainer of the moment.
“Any connection with McGregor and Reynoso, the hot trainer of the moment against McGregor who is always a hot commodity, you kind of build headlines.
“From a headline-building perspective, OK, I get it. Don’t get me wrong, McGregor’s striking coaches, or whatever they’re called in MMA, are horrible.
“They are basically just cheerleaders. I was in that camp. They are horrible, they are horrible. They don’t know anything at all.
“The things they were working on were ridiculously stupid, completely out of the ordinary and would never work at all, especially in a real boxing match.
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“But I don’t know how you can link the thing together in one training camp.
“Especially, does Reynoso have any experience with stand up fighters in MMA?
“I think it’s too much to overcome, it would be more of a media-friendly, type of blitz, headline-grabbing clickbait-type of thing than it would be any real benefit to McGregor in that regard, personally.”
Malignaggi stormed out of McGregor’s camp in 2017 as the UFC superstar prepared for his boxing debut, which he lost to Floyd Mayweather.
Images and footage released – including a disputed knockdown of Malignaggi – fulled the bad blood.
The former two-weight boxing champ called out McGregor to a winner-take all fight in the ring, but was never taken up on his offer.
Instead, Malignaggi fought McGregor’s gym-mate Artem Lobov in bare-knuckle, losing on points in a decision he still argues to this day.
Conor McGregor sparred Paulie Malignaggi before fighting Floyd MayweatherCredit: Refer to Caption
Pauli Malignaggi walked out on Conor McGregor’s camp after released pictures
Artem Lobov beat Paulie Malignaggi in a bare-knuckle boutCredit: Getty – Contributor
And Malignaggi has also kept the rivalry with McGregor alive, recently mocking the Dubliner for his defeat in January against Dustin Poirier.
The retired fighter turned analyst agreed McGregor’s best days are over as he fired another parting shot.
Malignaggi said: “I don’t think you could ever put him in the great category to be honest.
“He was a marketable guy, who knew how to sell himself well but I don’t think he accomplished enough to really be called great.
“You’ve got guys like; Georges St-Pierre, the original champions like what Royce Gracie was accomplishing, guys like Chuck Liddel, who really had longevity in the sport.
“Those are the greats of the mixed martial arts world, and probably some other names that I’ve not mentioned, Anderson Silva.
“McGregor’s spent more time self-promoting, and he did it really good, than he actually did winning.”
McGregor vs Malignaggi: Watch footage from infamous sparring sessions More

PAULIE MALIGNAGGI said Ben Askren can never ‘call himself a fighter ever again’ because he was knocked out in five seconds. Askren is on the receiving end of the fastest KO ever in the UFC, thanks to Jorge Masvidal’s devastating knee in 2019.
Jorge Masvidal knocked out Ben Askren in five secondsCredit: Getty – Contributor
Paulie Malignaggi said Ben Askren can never ‘call himself a fighter ever again’Credit: Getty Images – Getty
The American had one more fight before retiring that year, but is now returning for a boxing match against YouTuber Jake Paul on April 17.
Malignaggi senses some wise matchmaking by Paul’s team, and incredibly claimed Askren can no longer be considered a true fighter due to his historic loss against Masvidal.
He said on The Schmozone podcast: “You can technically call him a fighter.
“Personally, me, anytime you get knocked out in less than five seconds in any fight, you lose the ability to call yourself a fighter ever again.
“So I don’t think Ben Askren can ever call himself a fighter ever again – even if you fight.
“You may be somebody that fights, but you’re technically not a ‘fighter’ anymore because no fighter is getting knocked out in five seconds or less like he did.
“Jake Paul went from YouTuber, to ex-pro athlete to fighting somebody that fights. He’s yet to fight a fighter, but it’s progression.”
Paul, 24, beat online rival ‘AnEsonGib’ in his debut in January 2020, and then left ex-NBA star Nate Robinson, 36, out cold in November.

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And Askren, 36, is a former ONE Championship and Bellator champion, who had three fights in the UFC, losing two, before retiring in 2019.
Ex-champion Malignaggi, 40, who was beaten by former UFC veteran Artem Lobov in bare-knuckle, thinks Askren is the perfect step up from Robinson.
He said: “In reality, I think he’s (Paul) where he should be after two years.
“So you can’t really match him against somebody all that dangerous, just because you don’t like that he’s making this money as a boxer when some other boxers aren’t.
“I think Askren is good progression because Askren is technically an ex-fighter now as opposed to just an ex-athlete.”
Watch Ben Askren show off boxing skills in training ahead of Jake Paul fight More

BEN ASKREN had fans hailing him for ‘looking better’ in training ahead of his fight with Jake Paul. The retired UFC welterweight faces YouTuber Paul on April 17 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Ben Askren had fans hailing him for ‘looking better’ in trainingCredit: Instagram @benaskren
The ex-UFC welterweight is training to fight Jake PaulCredit: Instagram @benaskren
Ben Askren fights Jake Paul on April 17Credit: Instagram @benaskren
Askren, 36, is a renowned elite career grappler but was admittedly never gifted in the striking department.
As a result, Paul, 24, who has two knockouts in as many fights, is the favourite with bookies and several outsiders.
But Askren’s latest video on the pads appears to have given fans more confidence, as they commented on his improved speed.
One said: “Already looking better!”
Another said: “I gotta be honest, Ben looks much faster and has a smoother flow. Let’s hope he gets the job done.”
One added: “Looking better.”
Another added: “Improvements.”
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Paul beat online rival ‘AnEsonGib’ in his debut in January 2020, and then left ex-NBA star Nate Robinson, 36, out cold in November.
But his career has not convinced UFC president Dana White, who bet $1million that he will lose against Askren.
White said on Mike Tyson’s podcast: “I hope you can bet on this thing because I will bet $1m (£720,000) that he loses this f***ing fight.
“I bet a million dollars that he loses this fight!”

But Tyson’s podcast host, former world champion Zab Judah, warned White about Paul’s ability, having seen the social media sensation in the gym.
Judah said: “Dana I watched him, he’s been working hard, Dana. I have seen him put it together.
“He’s got hands. I am not joking.”
Boxing champion Jean Pascal pictured with Jake PaulCredit: @jeanpascalchamp More