CONOR McGREGOR revealed he is back sparring for his boxing return against Manny Pacquiao – after being warned he is facing a hiding.
Both the Irishman and Pacquiao revealed they are in talks to fight in the Middle East.
Ahead of his second pro boxing bout, McGregor, 32, shared pictures of what appears to be a sparring as well as a strength and conditioning session.
He captioned the post: “A good days work today on the program.”
McGregor made his boxing debut in 2017, losing to Floyd Mayweather, 43, in the second richest fight of all time.
And his return to the ring is targeted for December or January.
Pacquiao’s long-time trainer Freddie Roach reacted to the news by insisting the Filipino icon would beat McGregor easier than he did against Ricky Hatton.
Hatton was brutally knocked out by PacMan in round two of their 2008 world title fight.
McGregor responded to Roach’s comments in an Instagram post, where he revealed regret for not breaking the rules against Mayweather by using an MMA strike on the American legend.
He wrote: “I’m upset I fully followed the rules for that fight to be honest.
“Floyd deserved a volley at the least. A shoulder even, break the face.
“Manny not so much tho I don’t think, but I will see how the build up goes and wait to hear what bitter old Freddie Roach has to say and then make a decision.”
The UFC are believed to be on board in the negotiations for McGregor to box Pacquiao.
With Khabib Nurmagomedov, 31, facing Justin Gaethje in a unification next month, they hope The Notorious can return next year to face the winner.
McGregor’s head coach John Kavanagh was asked why the former UFC champion would be boxing 41-year-old Pacquiao next.
Kavanagh responded: “HUGE pay day, incredible experience in with another legend, athletically focused…plus it’ll be fun.”
