Paulie Malignaggi issues high-stakes challenge to Conor McGregor

The beef between Conor McGregor and Paulie Malignaggi is alive and well. Over the last few days, the pair have exchanged virulent trash talk in interviews and on social media, and talk of a potential fight between them is once again rampant.

Speaking on Off The Ball, Malignaggi upped the ante, challenging McGregor to a winner-takes-all fight in the boxing ring.

“There’s no other fight he can make that he makes more money than he does fighting me – the problem is, he gets beaten by me,” Malignaggi said. “[Eddie] Hearn can easily put the fight together, [Al] Haymon can easily put the fight together, Showtime have said they’d be interested in it — I don’t think it’s a no-brainer at this point. I don’t think it’d any secret at this point — there’s money in the fight.

“I would love to fight Conor McGregor in a winner-takes-all fight in a boxing match, I would absolutely love it because I would beat him to a pulp, I would hospitalize him and I’d make him go home broke too.

“In boxing I’d be interested in it — I’d love to do a winner-takes-all fight just so he can go for free but I don’t think he’d ever agree to that”

Paulie Malignaggi also dumped on Conor McGregor for expressing interest in an exhibition bout with Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa.

“McGregor’s trying all that he can to keep himself relevant as best he can – even going as far as calling out the Japanese featherweight Nasukawa. That guy just did an exhibition with Floyd Mayweather – I don’t think he was intending to fight guys as big as Floyd and Conor, that physically big – he’s a very small guy. It was a one-off situation. Conor’s not the same – he’s not Floyd Mayweather.

“Floyd Mayweather doesn’t lose – Conor loses every year. So I think Conor twisted up the roles a little bit. He got a bit confused – he forget he was Conor ‘McQuitter’ and thought he was Floyd Mayweather for a second where he could just walk into the free money. Guys like Floyd earn that kind of thing.

“In truth, he’s trying to look for free money because he knows that his time at the top is coming to an end.”

Do you think we’ll see Paulie Malignaggi and Conor McGregor fight in the future?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 1/13/2019.