Ask the boxing experts, and Conor McGregor doesn’t stand a hope in hell of defeating Floyd Mayweather.

We covered some of their responses HERE – basically they’re saying write the Irishman off.

Some video of Conor sparring with Paulie Malignaggi, a former pro boxer who hung up the gloves earlier this year, isn’t going to change their opinions, but it has given those looking forward to the fight something to talk about.

Via ESPN, Conor says the video is proof he can handle himself in the boxing ring:

According to Conor McGregor, former world champion boxer Paulie Malignaggi quit as one of his primary sparring partners because he was getting “whupped” during sessions.

Earlier this month, Malignaggi bailed on McGregor’s preparations for his Aug. 26 boxing match against Floyd Mayweather, citing multiple reasons. Chief among them, however, was a leaked photo that showed Malignaggi falling backward to the canvas during a 12-round session in Las Vegas.

Malignaggi, 36, denied McGregor knocked him down with a punch, telling ESPN he was “shoved down.” He also said McGregor booked a 12-round session one day after Malignaggi flew across the country, in order to catch him while he was jet-lagged…

“He tried his best, but he got his ass whupped,” McGregor said. “Tell me how his face looked. Tell me how his temple looked. He was badly, badly concussed after those rounds. Badly rattled. He was flattened and knocked down. The ropes kept him up multiple times.

“Sparring partners who were [staying] in the house with him were worried about him. They were ringing us, worried about him stumbling out of the car, incoherent.

Here’s the footage that everyone is talking about:

Some hardcore blows there, but Mayweather has proven that he can dodge and duck the quickest boxers time and time again.

In the wake of the video going public, Paulie Malignaggi has hit back:

“Watch right hand drag me behind my back,” Malignaggi wrote. “He’s also a southpaw, so it’s dragging me toward his lead foot that I trip over. [Half] push, half trip.

“I mean, even tonight’s highlights showed what I [had] already said, as a whole he got his ass beat that session, but never will they release [all 36 minutes].”

He’s right, chances are we will never see the full 36-minute video.

The marketing machine keeps on spinning. Less than two weeks left and and all will be revealed.

[source:espn]