Conor McGregor given deadline to accept Manny Pacquiao boxing fight

08 May 2024 , 08:14

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Conor McGregor given deadline to accept Manny Pacquiao boxing fight

Conor McGregor has been told he must accept a fight with Manny Pacquiao within the next nine months.

Former two-weight UFC champion McGregor has long been linked with a boxing fight against ring legend Pacquiao having made his debut against the Filipino's bitter rival Floyd Mayweather. But a deal could never be struck and McGregor is now focused on his cage return.

He will take on Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29 which will be his first fight in almost three years since he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier. He will then have one more fight on his UFC contract and is unlikely to be given permission to talk to Pacquiao as he was Mayweather.

Pacquiao, meanwhile, retired from boxing after his defeat by Yordenis Ugas in 2021 but has since taken part in exhibition bouts. He claimed he was set to rematch Mayweather in such a fight but their second meeting has never come to fruition.

And now his advisor Sean Gibbons has revealed Pacquiao will make a second run for president of his homeland, meaning he has a short window to fight again. "It was always really a great dream for him and Conor McGregor, but Conor’s got so much UFC business or whatever," he told Boxing Scene. "Manny’s got about nine months left because he’s going to run for office again, so he’s still actively looking for something."

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Pacquiao has also been linked with a fight with Conor Benn with the rivals facing off during the build-up to Anthony Joshua's win over Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia in March. But Benn is still fighting to prove his innocence over his failed drugs test ahead of his doomed fight against Chris Eubank Jr in 2022.

And Gibbons added: "You know, that fight was more or less in place to happen and, unfortunately, he lost the appeal. We got bad luck. You saw the hype, the build-up, everybody was excited, all sides wanted to do it, but unfortunately losing the appeal cost the fight.

"Conor Benn, they said he comes off suspension in September, there’s still an opportunity to do that. I always thought Kell Brook would have been fun. Conor Benn was the ideal fight because it would have been competitive."

Martin Domin