Paulie Malignaggi claims he would have “destroyed” Conor McGregor had they squared off in the ring

Former boxer Paulie Malignaggi has claimed he would’ve destroyed Conor McGregor if they’d ever squared off in a boxing match.

Many years ago, Conor McGregor went head to head with Floyd Mayweather in a mammoth crossover boxing showdown. While McGregor came up short, he earned the respect of many – and he also put on one of the biggest pay-per-view events of all time.

In the lead-up to the contest, he did plenty of sparring, including with Paulie Malignaggi. The accounts of what happened have differed over the years, and as a result, the feud has been ever-present.

RELATED: PAULIE MALIGNAGGI ADMITS CONOR MCGREGOR COULD HAVE STOPPED HIM IN SPARRING SESSION

Now, Malignaggi has spoken candidly about his thoughts on Conor’s abilities.

Hysterical! Malignaggi ‘Would Have Destroyed’ McGregor https://t.co/XV929zGubm

— MMA Mania (@mmamania) November 28, 2023

Malignaggi reflects on McGregor feud

“I’m a better trash talker than McGregor, that’s one of the reasons he did not fight me, I would have trashed him in the press conferences and the fight,” Malignaggi told Action Network. “It would have ended all of the hysteria around him because I would have destroyed him in the trash-talking and in the ring. I would have ruined the whole aura around him. He was smart not to pull the trigger on a fight with me.”

“McGregor was lucky to achieve what he achieved in his career, physically and talent wise he’s up there, but just because you can do a bunch of high kicks from a Jean Claude Van Dam movie, doesn’t mean you’re a fighter; you need guts, you need a willingness to succeed, you need a willingness to enter the trenches and if you don’t have that, you’re going to fade,” Malignaggi said.

‘We’ve talked about A.J. (Anthony Joshua) losing that edge, but McGregor is on a different level. McGregor will quit on you, he does quit,” he continued.

“AJ does not take as many risks anymore but at least he’s not quitting. McGregor is an outright quitter. He is a fighter that was not as good as advertised, there was great marketing behind him. And the money he’s made now isn’t helping, so you’ve got a problem — all he’s going to do is continue to be a punching bag. If you’re a punching bag in your 20s, you’ll definitely be a punching bag in your 30s.”

Quotes via MMA Mania

What are your thoughts on these comments? Let us know, BJPENN Nation!