HANDA si Top Rank big boss Bob Arum na magparaya matuloy lamang ang sagupaan nina eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao at Irish mixed martial arts superstar Connor McGregor basta malaki ang matatanggap na premyo ng Pinoy boxer.

Sa panayam ng TMZ Sports, naniniwala si Arum na madali kay Pacquiao ang pagsagupa sa pambato ng Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) na si McGregor basta boksing ang estilo ng laban.

"That's an easy fight for Manny, and I would love for that fight to happen, absolutely," sabi ni Arum. "For sure, Manny Pacquiao would love to fight Conor McGregor in boxing. Any boxer would like to fight Conor McGregor, because they'd knock him out."

Ipinahiwatig ni McGregor na haharapin lamang niya si Pacquiao kung patuloy na magpapataas ng presyo ang hambog na si Floyd Mayweather.

Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, chair ng Coordination Commission ng Brisbane 2032

Ngunit, problema nina Pacquiao, McGregor at Arum si UFC President Dana White dahil kailangang aprobahan nito ang professional boxing match ng dalawa.

Para kay Arum, payag siyang i-promote ni White ang laban nina Pacquiao at McGregor basta maayos ang premyo ng Pinoy boxer.

"I tell you, if the only impediment to Manny Pacquiao fighting Connor McGregor is because Dana doesn't like me, then I won't be around," ani Arum. "I would give Manny the right, the permission to fight Connor McGregor anytime that the money was right for Manny."

Sinabi naman ni Artem Lobov, kaibigan at training partner of McGregor, na hindi tatagal si Pacquiao ng dalawang rounds sa UFC champion.

“I think that’s a more realistic fight. I tell you one thing; before even Conor himself thought about fighting Mayweather, I was the one telling him that this is the fight to make. I was telling him that this is where this was going to go,” sabi ni Lobov sa TheMacLife.com.

“I honestly feel that Mayweather doesn’t want the fight. Think about it this way, him and Pacquiao… it took them five years to make the fight happen and they are in the same sport. How is he now going to take on Conor, who is in his prime, is young motherfucker knocking everybody out,” giit ni Lobov.

“Pacquiao historically has done very bad with counter-punchers and Conor is one of the best counter-punchers on the planet. The range that he has on Pacquiao, he would just be hitting air the whole time. As fast as he is, it wouldn’t be any different,” aniya. “Conor’s footwork, his positioning, his elusiveness, his range — it would just be too much for Pacquiao. I feel that one would be over in one or two rounds.” (Gilbert Espeña)