Rumors are circulating that Conor McGregor has been knocked out in sparring in preparation for the Floyd Mayweather fight.
Conor McGregor was supremely confident throughout the blockbuster MayMac world tour last week, promising the media and fans that he would knock out Floyd Mayweather Jr. inside four rounds on Aug. 26.
According to Jessie Vargas, however, a former two-weight boxing world champion, ‘The Notorious’ has already been knocked out cold in sparring.
McGregor, the current UFC lightweight champion, is 0-0 as a professional boxer but has brought in some pro and amateur sparring partners to help prepare for ‘The Best Ever.'
Vargas, 27-2, recently told Villainfy Media that McGregor was KO’d in training. According to him, news travels fast in the boxing world.
"He got knocked out in sparring already, man!" Vargas said, per Darragh Murphy of Joe.co.uk. “The boxing world is small; it's a small circle.”
While that may or may not be true, one of McGregor’s sparring partners - amateur Irish boxing sensation Tiernan Bradley - had nothing but praise for the Dubliner’s boxing.
In an interview with Peter Carroll of MMA Fighting, Bradley said he was lifted off his feet with an uppercut during sparring.
“I don’t know if you’ve seen the photo that he uploaded onto his Instagram after our session,” Bradley said. People are talking about his left hand and whether the power will be there with 10-ounce gloves — he lifted me off my feet with a right uppercut in 16 (ounce gloves)!”
According to SBG Ireland head coach John Kavanagh, McGregor is putting in four times the amount of sparring in preparation for Mayweather, who is 49-0 and widely considered the best defensive boxer of all time. During that time, it’s highly likely that the 29-year-old will take, in his own words, a few ‘smacks’ in the boxing ring.
McGregor’s boxing showdown with Mayweather takes place on August 26 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
