With “Magic Man” Paulie Malignaggi out as Conor McGregor’s chief sparring partner, the MMA star has just been offered the opportunity to go “ Hi-Tech.” No less than pound-for-pound star (some say P-4-P number-one) Vasyl Lomachenko took to social media earlier today, offering his services in asking McGregor if he “needs another sparring partner.”
Lomachenko may or may not be serious:
“@TheNotoriousMMA need another sparring partner to test your skills against?”
Lomachenko’s tweet included a telephone symbol, clearly asking McGregor to call if he wishes to take the gifted super-featherweight king up on his offer. So, maybe Lomachenko is serious.
Malignaggi left McGregor’s camp in disgust, angered at the way he had been treated, even used and double crossed (that photo of Malignaggi on the canvas, the image strongly suggesting McGregor had knocked him down – Paulie insisting he had merely slipped or had been pushed). But would McGregor dare try and take such liberties against Lomachenko?
Lomachenko, at 130 pounds, is a fair bit smaller than McGregor, but it’s safe to say the sublimely gifted southpaw would take McGregor, a boxing novice still, to school if he did share a ring with him. The internet is buzzing over this short tweet by Lomachenko, though, and many fans are urging McGregor to do the smart thing and call the gifted Ukrainian and take him up on his generous offer.
With just under 20 days to go until his heavily hyped “Super Fight” with Floyd Mayweather (now there’s a Dream Fight: Mayweather Vs. Lomachenko at 130!) McGregor will surely look to engage in at least a little further sparring, so as to sharpen his fledging boxing skills as much as possible, before fight night. And whether he got embarrassed or not (and he probably would get embarrassed in trying to keep up with “The Matrix”), McGregor would very likely learn a few things from sharing a ring with Lomachenko.
So, is Lomachenko’s phone ringing off the hook right now, or is McGregor choosing to pass on the two-weight (and counting) champ’s surprising offer?