Conor McGregor Pulls Out of Wheelchair Boxing Match to Heal, Recover

Just hours after it was reported that Conor McGregor had signed on for a charity wheelchair boxing match in Ireland, it appears “The Notorious” won’t fight after all in September as he continues to recover from recent leg surgery.

McGregor was allegedly signed on to fight impressionist Al Foran in a wheelchair boxing match for charity on September 11, before ESPN’s Marc Raimondi reported that the fight was called off. McGregor later tweeted the reasoning behind the withdrawal, citing his recovery from a nasty leg break he suffered against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.

Conor McGregor will not be competing in a wheelchair boxing match for charity in September despite recent reports, his spokesperson Karen Kessler told ESPN. He is still healing from the broken leg he suffered at UFC 264.

— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) August 2, 2021

Guys, the September date is too early for me. I am still in recovery. My docs/physical therapy team out here advice me to stay. I reckon late October at earliest. But maybe November/December too. It is hard to say at this time a concrete date. But I’m in! Wait for me please!

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) August 2, 2021

Despite the logical reasoning behind McGregor’s withdrawal from the charity bout, the fight promoter, Stevo Timothy was not happy with the cancellation just hours after it was announced that he would fight in the match.

Very disappointed. And an odd way to find out.
More disappointed with that last sentence and what it implies. pic.twitter.com/lziHjk0Ycn

— Sir Stevo Timothy (@SirStevoTimothy) August 2, 2021

McGregor is just weeks removed from his devastating leg break at UFC 264 and is expected to be out until the beginning of next year, at the earliest. While the surgery was successful, McGregor has a long road to a full recovery which includes being in a cast for at least the next six weeks.

The trilogy bout between McGregor and Poirier ended on a sour note via doctor’s stoppage, as Poirier will now compete for the lightweight title against Charles Oliveira later this year while McGregor recovers from his injury. UFC president Dana White has said that a fourth fight between McGregor and Poirier in the future is definitely not off the table.

Despite pulling out of the wheelchair charity event, McGregor sounds like he intends to support the organization that promoted the bout in the future. He also sounds like he’ll be able to possibly compete in the organization later this year before he begins to look forward to his return to the UFC octagon.

What’s your reaction to Conor McGregor withdrawing from a wheelchair charity boxing match?