There’s a lot of talk as to who can fight Conor McGregor next. However, it looks like mixed martial arts (MMA) isn’t the only possible combat sport the Irishman could be competing in this year.
Surrounding the buzz of McGregor’s return to Octagon action this month was also chatter of “Notorious” potentially stepping into the boxing world again. Back in 2017, McGregor made his professional boxing debut against, arguably, the greatest of all time in Floyd Mayweather. Despite a competitive start to the contest, McGregor ultimately fell in the 10th round via TKO.
Years later, McGregor has noted that he thinks, with a few adjustments, he has what it takes to beat Mayweather – something that not even some of the greatest boxers of all time could accomplish. McGregor has also expressed interest in winning a boxing world title at some point. With that being said, one man who has been very critical of McGregor’s involvement in the boxing world over the years is Golden Boy Promotions’ Oscar De La Hoya.
De La Hoya was recently interviewed by FightHubTV and asked about the chatter going around that McGregor could box again. The boxing legend stated that McGregor, along with every other combat sports athlete out there, should stay in his lane. (H/T LowKickMMA)
“I think every sport should just stay in their own lane,” De La Hoya said. “I wouldn’t mind seeing a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight again because they’re two boxers. Just stay in your own lane — I think it’s best for every sport.”
De La Hoya was also asked about Mayweather possibly coming out of retirement to fight the likes of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Golden Boy Promotions frontman said we’ve all seen this story before with Mayweather vs. McGregor, and a fight with Nurmagomedov would be no different.
“We’ve seen it once before,” De La Hoya said. “Nothing’s going to change. Mayweather’s the best at what he does in boxing and an MMA fighter is not going to beat him in boxing.
“… Just stay in your own lane and we’ll all be happy. I saw the McGregor fight [vs. Cerrone]. He’s awesome at what he does in the Octagon. And I love watching fights with Pacquiao and Mayweather. Let’s just stick to our own lanes and enjoy these fights and let’s grow these sports collectively.”
