So much for Conor McGregor vs. Manny Pacquiao.
With McGregor getting stopped by strikes vs. Dustin Poirier at UFC 257, the extremely profitable but competitively laughable idea of the former two-division UFC champ taking on boxing’s eight-division champ and sports icon is seemingly dead and buried. In the meantime, another completely unexpected possibility for Pacquiao’s return to the ring has surfaced.
The Athletic’s Mike Coppinger reported late Saturday night that a fight between Pacquiao and WBC interim lightweight champion Ryan Garcia is being explored. These are early talks and nothing more beyond that but nevertheless a total surprise.