By Edward Chaykovsky
Promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport signed up a big talent last week, when he picked up top Olympian Katie Taylor of Ireland.
In a recent interview, Hearn gave his opinion on another Irish fighter, UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor.
In the last few months, McGregor has been talking up a potential cross-sport fight with retired former five division world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.
To make the fight with Mayweather happen, McGregor says he is willing to face him in a normal boxing match. Of course UFC President Dana White has stated in several interviews that he would never approve the contest under traditional boxing rules. White would make a push for elbows and kicks to be included in the fight.
In a few interviews, McGregor expressed his interest in transitioning to the sport of boxing to become the first male fighter to capture world titles in both sports.
Whether it's against Mayweather or another name in the boxing world, Hearn gives McGregor no chance at making it as a boxer.
"Conor McGregor would have no chance of making it as a boxer at this point,” stated Hearn to the Irish Independent. “I have heard suggestions that McGregor wants to move in to boxing, but he would be little more than a amateur, even if he shows some decent boxing skills in UFC.
“I’m a big admirer of McGregor and there is no doubt that he is one of the best exponents of MMA in the world right now. He’s also brilliant at hyping himself and people are just as excited to see what happens in a McGregor press conference as they are when he fights. The guy is entertaining and he deserves all the success coming his way. He is very, very clever and a promoter’s dream.
“The key with a guy like this is he can back up his boasts with performances as a sportsman, but he is an MMA performer and not a boxer. You cannot just switch to the ring and expect to be competitive straight away. He would be an amateur if he went into boxing and would have no chance of challenging for major titles, even at a domestic level for a long time. MMA and boxing are totally different sports, but the fact that we are even talking about McGregor moving into boxing confirms this is a story people are interested in.”
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As far as the cross-sport fight against Mayweather, Hearn (like a lot of other people) never believe the contest was ever going to happen. He saw it as nothing more than hype, with both men using each other for promotional purposes.
“There was all these rumours about a possible fight with Mayweather, but that was just hype. It was never going to happen,” Hearn said. “Those two guys are great at promoting themselves, they are both very clever. While we all knew it was a fantasy for McGregor to take on Mayweather in a boxing ring, everyone was talking about the prospect for a few months, which is what it was all about. A publicity stunt.”
