Conor McGregor knows one more victory will set up a massive Pay Per View clash with boxing great Manny Pacquiao later this year.
McGregor has been a stranger to the Octagon since his fight almost a year ago, where he convincingly battled his way to a win.
However, on January 23rd, he’s back and ready to face old UFC rival Dustin Poitier in a huge bout. This fight will see him as the number one contender for the UFC lightweight title.
But is this his main professional goal? Whilst it would undoubtedly be a welcome achievement, McGregor has made no secret of his ambition to win a world boxing title before retirement.
One Win Away
The WBC president, Mauricio Sulaiman, has declared that should McGregor beat a ranked boxer, he would surely get a shot at a world boxing title.
McGregor has already faced off against a boxer, and he certainly jumped in the deep end, taking on one of the greatest of all time in his 2017 bout against the legendary Floyd Mayweather. However, that didn’t go so well for the Irish fighter, who struggled to make an impact at all and was finally put out of his misery in the 10th round.
However, over three years ago, the boxing world is happy to welcome him back for another shot.
Despite the loss, Sulaiman believes that if McGregor can defeat a top-15 ranked fighter, he would be ready to go for a world title. However, he would need to put on a better show than his last effort to prove himself.
A Strong Contender
Putting aside his last foray into boxing, no one can deny McGregor’s power as a fighter. He has strength, confidence and has learned lessons from his last bout. There’s no doubt that McGregor never knew what to expect from Mayweather and didn’t fully understand the challenges that a world-class boxer would present, but he is wiser now.
He has fought the meat and knows the drill. He can tailor his training and mental preparation more than before.
McGregor is not the first to change disciplines. It has been done before, and successfully, Amateur superstar Vasyl Lomachenko turned pro boxer with great success. It’s hard to deny that McGregor has the fight, attitude, and ability to make a go of it. McGregor is no rookie.
He knows what a hard fight is and is happy to come back from a loss, which he has done before.
Manny Pacquiao Confidence
Whatever happens, McGregor will go in full of confidence. He has already confirmed that he will box again and that he will get a boxing world title. McGregor has a love of boxing and is good at it. It seems as though it is a matter of when, not if, he goes into the ring again. Just one win, and he could be a title contender.
Could he be a world UFC champion and a world boxing champion? McGregor thinks so…
Bring on Manny Pacquiao.
