Los Angeles (AFP)
Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao wants to fight Irish mixed martial arts (MMA) star Conor McGregor next year, his advisor Jayke Joson said in a statement on Saturday.
"Manny Pacquiao will fight superstar Conor McGregor next year," said Jayke Joson, Pacquiao's longtime assistant, adding that negotiations between the two champions were ongoing.
"Our lawyers are finalizing all confidential details, but the two boxers are preparing for this epic boxing match," Joson said.
The fight could be staged in the Middle East after the coronavirus pandemic ends and Pacquiao will give part of his earnings to Filipino Covid-19 victims, Pacquiao's adviser also said.
One of the Filipino boxer's representatives, Sean Gibbons, had indicated shortly before in Los Angeles that the world champion in eight weight classes was considering facing McGregor.
A fight that would be a "great world event" according to Gibbons.
Earlier on Friday, the Irishman, who fought and lost to welterweight king Floyd Mayweather in 2017 and announced his retirement from an MMA fighter in June, announced on Twitter that he would "box against Manny Pacquiao in the near future. Middle East".
"It will be a real honor to have faced two of the greatest boxers of the modern era," he added.
In the process, McGregor's agent, Audie Attar, had confirmed that discussions for this possible fight were underway, citing a possible date in December or January in the Middle East.
McGregor was talked about in September by being placed in police custody for two days in Corsica for sexual exhibition, without prosecution at the end.
For his part, Manny Pacquiao, 41, has not boxed since winning the WBA welterweight belt at the expense of Keith Thurman in Las Vegas in July 2019.
In recent years, he has managed to pursue a political career in the Philippines, where he is an elected senator, while continuing to box at the highest level.
© 2020 AFP