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      UFC superstar Conor McGregor given green light to fight for world title in BOXING if he beats one ranked WBC contender

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      CONOR McGREGOR would be given the green light to fight for a world title in BOXING as long as he defeats a ranked WBC contender.
      McGregor made his lucrative ring debut in 2017, losing to Floyd Mayweather in ten rounds

      Conor McGregor during his boxing debut with Floyd Mayweather Credit: Rex Features

      Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor pictured in 2017 next to the WBC’s ‘Money’ belt Credit: AP:Associated Press

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      The WBC helped sanction the crossover spectacle, even putting up a ‘Money’ belt for the occasion.
      But with McGregor last year revealing that he envisions winning a title for real in boxing, he has been handed hope of achieving his audacious goal.
      All the Irishman has to do is claim a victory over a contender rated in the top 15 by the WBC, as the sanctioning body will take into account his prior accolades in the UFC.

      WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman told SunSport: “I would say, he needs to face and defeat a ranked fighter, then he would be eligible to be ranked and to compete for a title.
      “Because, we have plenty of examples of Muay Thai fighters, who turn professional in international boxing, and they are eligible to fight for the title.
      “We also have amateur superstars like Vasiliy Lomachenko, they come into professional boxing and fight for the title and it’s proven it works.”
      Masterful Ukrainian Lomachenko – who left the amateurs with a 396-1 record – won the WBO belt in only his second pro bout.

      And the WBC have a long history of Thai Boxing champions switching over to the sweet science with great success, like Samart Payakaroon who reigned in both sports.

      Conor McGregor revealed he wants to win a world title in boxing

      Conor McGregor sparring ahead of his UFC return

      With McGregor’s history as the UFC’s top attraction, as well as 19 knockouts in his 22 wins, the southpaw would be equally entitled to a shot at the famous green and gold WBC belt.
      Sulaiman said: “If he is to start boxing and proves with victories in boxing then he should certainly be given the opportunity to fight for a world title.
      “We, in the WBC, consider the amateur career as one of the criteria for rankings.
      “And, for example Muay Thai, in Thailand, we consider that career also when they enter into boxing.
      “So, Conor has a mixed martial arts resume, so if he comes into boxing and wins a fight against a ranked fighter, he would be eligible to be ranked.
      “This is not a rookie entering the sport, he has a long history of combat sports, so it’s a different scenario of what it used to be in the past.”
      McGregor, 32, won early rounds against Mayweather, 43, before tiring as the 50-0 icon took over down the stretch.

      Conor McGregor was beaten in ten rounds by Floyd Mayweather Credit: Getty Images – Getty

      WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman with Floyd Mayweather Credit: Reuters
      Despite defeat, it has not stopped him from calling for a rematch, and even entering talks to face Manny Pacquiao, 42, in the future.
      For now, though, McGregor is focussing on his octagon return, as he rematches Dustin Poirier, 31, on January 23.
      But Sulaiman believes the former two-weight UFC champion has the tools necessary to reach the pinnacle of boxing – but has to prove it against a worthy contender first.
      He said: “What we saw with Mayweather was of course different with the times, the rounds, it is not the same to fight five rounds to then go 12 rounds.
      “But he has ability, he has power, he has status as a fighter.
      “But, to compete and become a world champion in the WBC, he would need to fight in boxing and by merit be ranked. Then, he would be in the position to challenge.
      “I don’t know what weight category he would be, but definitely he would need to get a decisive win against a quality opponent to be considered to be ranked.”

      Owen Roddy says people don’t punch like Conor McGregor ahead of Poirier fight More

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      UFC superstar Conor McGregor can BEAT Manny Pacquiao in boxing match, says legend Evander Holyfield

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      CONOR MCGREGOR has a ‘chance’ of beating Manny Pacquiao in a boxing match, former undisputed cruiserweight champion Evander Holyfield believes.
      A blockbuster crossover fight between the pair has been mooted for well over a year, with McGregor teasing a 2021 showdown last September.

      Conor McGregor entered the boxing world in the summer of 2017 to face Floyd Mayweather JrCredit: Getty

      Conor McGregor and Manny Pacquiao are represented by the same managementCredit: Getty

      The Irishman, who boxed Floyd Mayweather in August 2017, has already had his chances of beating the 43-year-old Pacman written off.
      But Holyfield insists the former two-division UFC champ is capable of causing a stunning an upset, telling SunSport: “Well, he’s got longer arms. So he has reach advantage.
      “So he has to keep Pacquiao to the side and throw the punches straight, which is going to be difficult. You’re talking about fighting somebody who has been doing boxing their whole life.
      “McGregor’s strength is grabbing people and turning people and flipping people, where he had more things to think about.”

      Despite believing McGregor can beat Pacquiao, Holyfield, 58, admits The Notorious faces an uphill task to get the better of the former eight-weight world champion.

      He added: “When you to boxing where you’re boxing and using your hands only and not kicking, it is going to be difficult for someone like McGregor.
      “It makes it even more difficult because, as I said, Pacquiao has been doing it all his life and his hand routine is perfect.

      “And regardless anybody gets into a fight with him the only person who’s going to have a better chance to beat him is somebody younger doing the same thing he does, which is boxing.
      “But if you are the same age there’s not much difference because then you’re going to get whooped.
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      “However, anybody who gets in the ring has some chance, I believe. You ain’t getting in the ring if you think you ain’t got a chance. And McGregor has some skills too.
      “He has that heart to fight, heart of a fighter. He can fight so ain’t nobody just going to beat him up in no kind of way. Just like the boxers, he has the mentality of a fighter.
      “Manny, even if he went into a MMA fight he would get kicked but he will get some punches in there and fight, he may get tore up in the end but he is a fighter who is able to do something because of the mentality andhow we fighters think. So, McGregor has a chance.”
      Should McGregor land a mega-money fight with the pride of the Philippines, Holyfield would happily prepare the Dubliner for the bout.

      The Real Deal said: “If I was asked then I would go out to him and say to him, ‘You know what, do this thing.’
      “The thing is that I’m not a ‘coach’. I can give him good advice, but I’d have someone else hold the hand pads – I don’t know how to hold hand pads! – I came up hitting hands pads.
      “So, it’s like Mayweather, he doesn’t know how to hold hand pads like coaches do. But he was a good fighter.
      “There are a lot of things fighters don’t do real well if they were to coach. Because they were great fighters, so it’s kind of different. But it’s easy to give directions and advice, but show someone how to do something is different.”
      McGregor is currently gearing up for his UFC 257 rematch with Dustin Poirier, whom he’ll rematch a week on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.
      WBA welterweight champion Pacquiao, meanwhile, currently doesn’t have a fight booked but intends to make two outings this year.

      Joe Rogan says Conor McGregor fighting ‘one of the greatest boxers of all time’ Manny Pacquiao is ‘bonkers’ More

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      Jake Paul told ex-UFC ace Askren is tougher test than Nate Robinson as he can ‘take a punch, see blood & not be afraid’

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      JAKE PAUL has been warned not to underestimate Ben Askren’s boxing ability with the YouTuber set for a dramatic step up in competition.
      Paul is in talks to fight retired UFC welterweight Askren, who is renowned for his grappling and wrestling prowess, in March.

      Jake Paul knocking out ex-NBA star Nate Robinson Credit: Getty Images – Getty

      Ben Askren retired from the UFC in 2019 Credit: Getty – Contributor

      The social media sensation is riding high following a brutal knockout of former NBA player Nate Robinson in November.
      But ex-UFC champion Anthony Pettis, a friend and training partner of Askren’s, reckons Paul is in for a rude awakening when he shares the ring with a seasoned and experienced fighter.
      Pettis, 33, told SunSport: “Once a guy who can actually take a punch, see blood and not be afraid – that’s a real fighter.
      “A guy that can take damage and keep coming forward. Ben can do that. Ben is one of those guys that can get hit and hit you back.

      “Look at Nate Robinson, it didn’t even look like he had a sparring session before that fight.
      “Once he got hit you could see he wanted no part of it. That changes when you get in with a guy that accepts getting hit and hits you back.
      “Once Jake Paul fights someone like that under the lights, when the pressure is on, that’s when we’ll see.”
      Despite Askren’s career competing at the pinnacle of MMA, some bookmakers and experts – including Daniel Cormier – have tipped him to lose against Paul.

      Ben Askren pictured with training partner Anthony Pettis

      But Pettis – who has just signed for the Professional Fighters League – has urged viral star Paul and anyone else not to count out his team-mate’s underrated hands.
      He said: “I definitely think he’s been underestimated.
      “Ben’s strength is wrestling, his hands are only to get guys to the ground, to maintain that distance to get guys to the ground.
      “We haven’t seen much of Ben’s hands so it makes sense for Jake Paul to call someone out like that instead of going for some of the big guns.
      “But Ben’s an athlete, I’ve trained with him and I know how good he is.
      “I’ve said I’d help Ben get ready for that fight. Ben’s here in Wisconsin and I’ve told him I’ve got sparring for him.
      “I think he fought Damian Maia in his last fight and that’s a hard guy to showcase your skills against.
      “Ben has great boxing, I even think Damian Maia has underrated boxing in mixed martial arts. His hands are very good.”

      Ben Askren is renowned for his wrestling skills Credit: Getty Images – Getty

      YouTuber Jake Paul is 2-0 as a pro boxer Credit: Getty Images – Getty

      Former UFC champion Anthony Pettis plans a move into boxing
      As well as offering to help Askren, 36, face Paul, 23, Pettis himself fancies a crack at the 2-0 boxing upstart.
      But the new PFL arrival will not get lost in the queue of endless challengers wanting to fight the internet phenomenon.
      Pettis does intend to take his skills to the boxing ring one day, and will welcome all comers.
      He explained: “I’ve been so focussed on MMA that I haven’t looked at boxing for potential match-ups.
      “But there’s so many big names in boxing. It would be my boxing debut, but I do have great hands, I spar with some of the best boxers out there.
      “My kicking does take precendence over my boxing, I’ve used it my whole life, but I’d like to challenge myself in that arena, do some kind of a boxing exhibition.
      “Something to make it exciting, something that would make me wake up in the morning and be motivated to train.”

      Logan Paul calls out own brother Jake Paul for boxing fight More

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      Conor McGregor explains how his boxing has improved since Floyd Mayweather fight ahead of possible Manny Pacquiao bout

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      CONOR McGREGOR claims his boxing technique has improved since fighting Floyd Mayweather.
      The Irishman will return to action at UFC 257 on January 23 when he takes on old rival Dustin Poirier.

      Conor McGregor explained how his boxing technique has improvedCredit: Rex Features

      McGregor returned to his first ever boxing coaches at the Crumlin amateur club, with former Olympian Phil SutcliffeCredit: Instagram @thenotoriousmma

      But he will ‘definitely’ fight boxing veteran Manny Pacquiao later this year, according to the man who manages the pair.
      The UFC superstar made his ring debut in 2017, losing in ten rounds to all-time great Mayweather.
      In the open workout before the fight, McGregor was ridiculed for his unusual warm up in the ring before hitting various bags for 12 rounds at the UFC’s Performance Institute in Las Vegas.
      McGregor returned to his first ever boxing coaches at the Crumlin amateur club, with former Olympian Phil Sutcliffe, for the first time ever, cornering the 32-year-old in the octagon.

      Before he beat Donald Cerrone in just 40 seconds, McGregor was filmed back at the UFC’s PI.
      There the southpaw revealed he is sitting down on his punches to generate more power, opposed to his more unconventional karate-style strikes displayed three years ago.
      McGregor said: “I actually look at the Mayweather [fight], the shots on the bag and the way I was punching and I actually can’t even watch that.
      “I shiver when I see the way I was throwing my punches back then. I just wasn’t sitting right on them, just floating through the air.

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      McGregor was beaten by Floyd Mayweather on his boxing debutCredit: Getty – Contributor
      “Now I’m getting into positions and sitting in. Got to go through everything to learn, to truly learn. Experience is the best teacher of all.”
      McGregor neglected to bring in a boxing coach before his loss to Mayweather, 43, with striking trainer Owen Roddy instead leading the camp alongside John Kavanagh.
      They will now instead work alongside those who first taught McGregor how to box.
      WBA welterweight championPacquiao plans to fight twice in 2021 – despite being 42 years old.
      Pacquiao, who boasts a 62-7 record, has been tipped to fight McGregor and Terence Crawford.
      He told the Daily Tribute: “I think I can do two fights next year.”

      Manny Pacquiao is in talks to fight McGregor in the Middle East

      McGregor is already training to box PacquiaoCredit: Twitter / @TheNotoriousMMA

      The countdown to Conor McGregor v Dustin Poirier has begun with Dana White tribute video More

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      Ex-UFC star Paige VanZant promises ‘blood’ ahead of brutal Bare Knuckle boxing debut at BKFC 16 against Britain Hart

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      PAIGE VANZANT has promised ‘blood’ when she debuts with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.
      The former UFC star will make her brutal transition on February 5 as she faces Britain Hart in Florida.

      Paige VanZant has promised ‘blood’ when she debuts with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship

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      VanZant, 26, confirmed the fight on Instagram and wrote: “February 5th. There will be blood. @bareknucklefc link in bio.”
      Hart, 30, has boxed 11 times as a professional, with a record of 4-4-3.
      She made her BKBFC debut in 2018 but was beaten, since earning a losing record of 1-2.

      BKBFC president David Feldman told MMAFighting: “Britain’s a real tough girl – she’s skilled, but she’s not the best technical boxer in the world
      “Paige isn’t going to have to chase her down.
      “It’s going to be competitive, but I think it’s going to be a good opponent choice for Paige on her first event.
      “[Paige is] getting paid very well, and I don’t think we could have thrown her somebody that never fought bare-knuckle before, or at least someone that had a pretty well-established record.

      “I don’t think the fans would have liked that. We’re going to give the fans what they want.”

      VanZant will kick off her bare-knuckle career two days before the Super Bowl, which is currently scheduled for February 7 at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
      As a result, the promotion are hoping to steal some attention from the NFL finale coverage before the fight.
      VanZant signed for BKBFC after her UFC contract expired, as she walked away with an 8-5 MMA record.

      Paige VanZant flashes her bum in red bikini in stunning pool picture ahead of Bare Knuckle boxing debut More

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      UFC star Joe Rogan was forced to change layout of his podcast studio because he was scared of ‘amped up’ Mike Tyson

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      UFC commentator Joe Rogan has revealed he had to change the layout of his podcast studio following his most recent interview with Mike Tyson.
      Iron Mike made his second appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast three months before his exhibition bout with Roy Jones Jr.

      Mike Tyson had Joe Rogan on edge during their second podcastCredit: Youtube – Joe Rogan podcast

      Joe Rogan made the table in his new studio wider because of Mike TysonCredit: Joe Rogan Experience

      Tyson, 54, was a completely different man to the cool, calm and collected individual Rogan first interviewed in January 2019.
      And the former undisputed heavyweight champion’s amped nature left Rogan wishing there was a little more space between them.
      During the latest episode of his podcast, the 53-year-old said: “[Mike Tyson] is the reason why this table is this wide.
      “This table, I was going to make it more narrow, I even had a smaller table that we were working with as a guide.

      “We were still doing the shows back in LA, while we were setting up this studio, I did an interview with Tyson, and he was so amped up for this Roy Jones fight, that I got nervous being in the room.
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      “I’m like, ‘I like that extra six inches of space between us, because he was so ramped up.”
      Rogan wasn’t the only person to notice Tyson’s markedly different demeanour.

      He continued: “When he left, Jamie [his producer] goes ‘that’s a totally different person’.
      “Because he went from being, ‘Mike Tyson, pot grower, not working out at all’, to getting ready to go to combat again.”

      Tyson turned in an impressive display in his exhibition with Jones Jr, which ended in a draw.
      And the boxer once known as The Baddest Man on the Planet intends to lace up his gloves again.
      When asked if he will fight again, Tyson told Patrick Mouratoglou: “Yeah, absolutely. It’ll be better this time.”
      He added: “It was interesting. I felt really good, I felt confident. I felt that I could do it again.”

      Hollywood star Michael Jai White agrees to fight Mike Tyson for free More

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      Logan Paul begs Dana White not to confuse him with brother Jake after UFC promoter slams brothers as ‘gimmick’

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      LOGAN PAUL has begged UFC president Dana White to stop confusing him with his younger brother Jake.
      YouTube superstar Jake has been gunning for a boxing match with former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor, who he called out multiple times last month.

      Logan Paul (R) has begged UFC president Dana White to stop mistaking him for his brother Jake (L)Credit: Instagram @loganpaul

      UFC bigwig Dana White recently took aim at the Paul brothersCredit: The Mega Agency

      Jake’s attempts to land a fight with The Notorious irked White, who recently accused the 23-year-old and his brother of creating a gimmick.
      Logan is gutted to have been blasted by the UFC chief, saying on his podcast: “He [Jake] pissed off Dana White.
      “Now Dana has grouped us together which sucks. I love Dana White, I love the UFC. Now Dana thinks we’re the same person. We’re so different.”
      Logan, who is gearing up to box Floyd Mayweather next month, insists he’s a big fan of the UFC and admits he has ambitions of one day fighting in the promotion.

      He added: “I love the UFC fights. I want to do a UFC fight one day. I’m not saying now, let me get my skills up.
      “Dana, take me back. I’m not Jake! Please.
      “Bro, he’s given me tickets to go to UFC fights before. F**k! F**k! I love Conor McGregor, dude.”
      Logan may very well dream of competing in the UFC, but it’s unlikely White will ever let him set foot inside the cage.

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      How Logan Paul and little brother Jake compare

      White said of the Paul brothers: “Neither one of those guys can fight. It’s all a big gimmick.
      “Like I said in a press conference, there’s a market for that.
      “If people are dumb enough to spend their money watching that s**t, I don’t know what to tell you.
      “Good luck to them. I care less what that guy (does). I get it. He’s trying to make some money and is doing his thing.
      “There are people who want to spend money on that. I’m not that guy.”

      Logan Paul trains with Victor Ortiz ahead of Floyd Mayweather fight More

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      Khabib was offered $100m to box Floyd Mayweather and Dana White was ‘on board’, reveals UFC fighter’s manager

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      KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV was offered $100million to box Floyd Mayweather with Dana White ‘on board’, his manager revealed. Ali Abdelaziz – who has represented Khabib throughout his UFC career – opened up about the proposal as he challenged Mayweather to take the fight. Abdelaziz told TMZ Sports: “Listen, we got offered $100million to fight Floyd Mayweather. […] More