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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star Conor McGregor has mocked Manny Pacquiao’s recent announcement about a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Pacquiao made sports headlines anew after teasing a 2024 rematch with Mayweather, making the announcement at a New Year’s Eve event in Tokyo, Japan held by promotional firm Rizin.
“I will see you here in Japan again, for a big fight against…,” Pacquiao said at Rizin’s event, not naming names at first.
But Rizin CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara announced that it was indeed Mayweather that the Filipino boxing legend would be fighting.
“I thought you wouldn’t want me to say that. I’m excited for that,” Pacquiao replied to Sakakibara.
Mayweather hasn’t confirmed the announcement yet and some other boxing fans doubt that the rematch would take place this year, according to the column of Boxing News 24/7 writer Rob Smith during New Year.
McGregor, however, wasn’t delighted.
In response, the flamboyant Irish took to Instagram (@notoriousmma) and posted a video clip of Pacquiao’s announcement with the caption “A lesson in how not to make an announcement”, accompanied by a laughing emoji.
The mixed martial arts social media post was picked up by various international sports sites, including Sportskeeda, talkSPORT, and the UK-based Mirror.
It marks the second time that McGregor has made fun of Pacquiao. The first was during an interview with iFL TV wherein he claimed that Pacquiao legally owes him $8 million, which was also reported by Will Schofield of the Daily Star last December 24.
“Manny already owes me $8 million via the court of law. He was signed to my management company and didn’t honor his deal. So, fight at my weight and I’ll square that bill away,” McGregor said, referring to his management company Paradigm Sports Management (PSM).
PSM won a legal battle against Pacquiao last May in a California jury, ordering the boxer to pay the firm $5.1 million for breach of contract.
In previous interviews, the brash McGregor stressed that Pacquiao still owes him money from the botched PSM deal.
“You can appeal all you want, hurry up with your appeal, you owe me that dough, lad. You can’t sign a contract with an agency to represent you and then go start to do other things like imminently, straight away,” McGregor said.
Meanwhile, before the court decision last year, PSM President Audie Attar issued a warning to individuals who are planning to enter a fight deal with Pacquiao.
“If any promoters, managers, fighters or broadcasting networks are considering agreeing with Manny before the trial, they are now on notice that Paradigm will immediately commence an action against them for tortious interference with contract and seek both an injunction and damages,” the PSM said in a statement released on January 25, 2023.
Pacquiao, for his part, hasn’t responded to McGregor’s latest antics.
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