But according to one fighter, McGregor might need some extra time in the gym.
American boxer Jessie Vargas, a former two-weight world champion, spoke with Villainfy Media and said that he heard from other boxers that McGregor has already gone down in training.
“He got knocked out in sparring already, man!” Vargas said, according to Darragh Murphy of Joe.co.uk. “The boxing world is small; it’s a small circle.”
McGregor’s team responded to the knockout reports, disputing the take by Vargas. McGregor’s managment spoke with The Telegraph and said: “The guy mentioned by Jessie Vargas is Brandon Rios, not Brad Wheeler. Neither have sparred with Conor.”
The Telegraph has an exclusive with a member of the Irishman’s management team, who has rubbished Vargas’ claims. The spokesperson commented:
“The guy mentioned by Jessie Vargas is Brandon Rios, not Brad Wheeler. Neither have sparred with Conor.”
Here’s Vargas on the video:
Of course, it’s important to note that no other source has independently verified Vargas’ claims—so for right now, he’s the only person who has suggested that McGregor was “knocked out” in his training sessions.
No matter how good McGregor gets in his training, the collective Vegas wisdom is that the Irish UFC champion faces long odds against Mayweather in the boxing ring on August 26. McGregor has never partook in a professional boxing match, and while he’s a champion UFC fighter, boxing is a very different sport.
The press tour brought plenty of headlines for McGregor and Mayweather, and, with just weeks before the actual fight, expect a few more interesting stories until then.
