Malignaggi hits back over McGregor fight talk with attack on bitter rival
MMA icon sparred with the American before his boxing debut defeat to Floyd Mayweather and floored him, sparking ongoing row over what exactly happened
PAULIE Malignaggi has rubbished talk of an imminent boxing match with hated rival Conor McGregor and branded the UFC star the "king of bulls**t".
McGregor earned around £9million for his one-sided boxing debut defeat to Floyd Mayweather in 2017.
One of the biggest stories around the circus was the sparring rounds The Notorious shared with ex-welterweight champion Malignaggi.
The MMA sensation leaked sparring footage that showed him flooring the 38-year-old former welterweight world champion.
But the Magic Man has always insisted that the Dublin icon is a little more than a money-making myth when it comes to the Sweet Science.
When asked by the Express if a rematch was on the cards, Malignaggi said: “Conor is the king of bulls***. So I would not be surprised if this Conor having his team put out rumours just to keep his name in the headlines.”
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Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao revealed this week that his team had received an offer an offer from the whiskey-flogging 30-year-old.
But the eight-weight Filipino legend knocked laughed the offer off.
He said: “They contacted my camp but didn’t take it seriously.
“I would do what Floyd did and make him tired. In boxing you have to have stamina to survive.
“Boxing is different to UFC. Boxing is about endurance and stamina, not for just one fight.”
The heat between McGregor and Malignaggi blew up after a photo was released on social media that showed Malignaggi on the canvas during one of their sessions.
Team McGregor insisted their man had floored the former WBA welterweight world champ.
And a video released by McGregor's friend and UFC supremo Dana White appeared to back that up.
But Malignaggi was furious, insisting it was as a result of a push from the UFC star.
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After McGregor's stoppage defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov, Malignaggi was quick to comment.
Uploading a photo of McGregor tapping out to the Russian at UFC 229, Malignaggi wrote "#noballs #quitter @TheNotoriousMMA ��."
And he even appeared to justify Nurmagomedov's post-fight actions where he launched himself at Team McGreogor.
Malignaggi posted on Twitter: "This man [Khabib] has more honor, character and balls than @NotoriousMMA his team and any of these @ufc suits combined."