We're less than two weeks away from one of the most talked about boxing matches in the history of the sport. While the Mayweather camp has been very quiet, camp McGregor has been the complete opposite.
It's probably because there's a lot of interest in how Conor McGregor is changing his style to be competitive against a boxer with a 49-0 record. But judging from the few videos that have surfaced, it seems as though he's fusing MMA and boxing together well.
Dana White has released more footage of The Notorious sparring with Paulie Malignaggi, and the Irishman certainly isn't holding back.
Credit: Dana White
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Mixed Martial Arts analyst Robin Black has weighed in on the footage, and believes that because McGregor doesn't fit the mould of a traditional boxer, that might actually work in his favour.
In a YouTube video, Black says: "There's going to be a lot of little things that really exist in the art of fighting that are slightly different from boxing.
"[McGregor] doesn't have to do what you call boxing. He just has to fight with two hands, in a ring, in the same rounds, with the same rules. It doesn't mean he has to box in the way that you think of boxing."
Black adds: "Floyd Mayweather and all other boxers of the top level are extremely specialised, and in doing so, they become more and more hyper-specialised, so there's all this other stuff that could happen outside of their specialisation that they're unfamiliar with, and that's how you try to beat them."
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He explains that's why McGregor got some impressive shots in on Paulie Malignaggi, because the former champion wasn't expecting that type of movement. The new video footage comes on the back of several sparring clips which show McGregor shouldn't be passed off.
Credit: Dana White
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Paulie Malignaggi has announced that he has left camp McGregor after just two sparring sessions; and he was quick to shut down speculation that it was because of Conor, whom he describes as having 'mutual respect inside the ring'.
The former former IBF Junior Welterweight and WBA Welterweight champion claims his departure was because of 'stuff outside the ring and some of the ways some things were handled'.
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The 36-year-old said McGregor 'whimpers like a girl' when he receives a body shot, but from the above footage released by Dana White, it looks like McGregor can hold his own. However, Malignaggi claims that the footage doesn't paint the full picture of their sparring sessions.
The ultimate showdown between McGregor and Mayweather gets underway August 26th.
Featured Image Credit: Dana White/InstagramTopics: Conor Mcgregor, Floyd Mayweather
