Malignaggi doesn’t believe McGregor will ever return to boxing: He can’t box

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Paulie Malignaggi rules out a possible boxing match with Conor McGregor.

With the recent back-and-forth between Conor McGregor and boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, some have speculated that the Irishman is gearing up for a return to the boxing ring.

McGregor, the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion, made his boxing debut in 2017 against none other than Floyd Mayweather Jr., with both men earning one of the biggest paydays in combat sports history.

McGregor lost the fight via 10th-round TKO but believes he would beat ‘Money’ in a rematch. Former two-division boxing champ Paulie Malignaggi, however, who has been embroiled in drama with McGregor ever since ‘The Notorious’ released footage of their controversial 2017 sparring session, believes it’s highly unlikely that the Dubliner will ever fight in the squared circle again.

“Eddie is a real genius businessman, a really smart businessman,” Malignaggi said in a recent interview with iFL TV (via BJ Penn). “So if he’s got an ace up his sleeve I wouldn’t be surprised. I just don’t think Conor McGregor can box.

“You’d probably have to get him the guy that sold me these nuts [to fight]. Or the guy who sold me this water, or this juice. That’s a few wins right there. He can’t fight, he’s not a boxer.”

Malignaggi then went on to reference his recent bare knuckle fight with McGregor teammate Artem Lobov, claiming that he beat ‘The Russian Hammer’ with one hand. Malignaggi actually lost the fight via unanimous decision but injured his hand in the first round.

“I’ll fight him with one hand, bro,” Malignaggi added. “I just beat up his boy with one hand. You don’t want that fight. We could do it, but I don’t really think it’s a realistic possibility.”

McGregor, 31, is expected to return to the UFC in the new year.