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If Conor McGregor hangs with Floyd Mayweather, Paulie Malignaggi would consider fight

Now that there’s a grudge and a ready-make storyline to promote, the idea of un-retiring doesn’t sound so bad to former two-division boxing champ Paulie Malignaggi.

Punching Conor McGregor for real – and making big money in the process – is something that might get him off the bench. His inner-promoter can already see it.

“Paulie Malignaggi is the retired guy who can still fight and is maybe past his prime, but still generates a big name in the sport and the event, and the bad blood, that’s already inherent there,” Malignaggi told MMAjunkie Radio. “I’ve thought about St. Patrick’s day falls on a Saturday next year. My mind thinks at a hundred miles an hour.”

At the same time, Malignaggi is hesitant to get too invested in the idea given his prediction for what will happen when McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) steps in the ring with Floyd Mayweather (49-0 boxing) on Aug. 26 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“I don’t want to put the cart way ahead of the horse,” Malignaggi said. “Let’s say he looks really bad with Floyd. Can you really ever sell him in boxing again? If he does even decent, yes, you’ve got something there. You can’t really talk about anything past the 26th.”

Malignaggi retired in March on the 19th anniversary of his first amateur match. He then turned to commentary and signed on to analyze McGregor’s upcoming fight with Mayweather.

Then, he found himself at the center of the Showtime pay-per-view fight’s storyline when McGregor wanted him to spar and indicated there was a grudge to settle. He was aware of the Irish champ’s talk but eagerly accepted an offer to help in camp.

Now, the two are in the midst of a full-blown feud that’s distracted from McGregor’s fight with Mayweather, which Malignaggi believes was the intention all along, whatever the cost.

“You might find a way to get rid of me,” Malignaggi said. “Andre Berto didn’t want to come in. You try to contact Steve Forbes; he didn’t want to come in, because now you’ve alienated yourself from the boxing community, because they know what you do. They know you try to make little highlight reels out of your sessions, whether you look good or not.

“So what do you have left? He’s got some little amateur bum he’s sparring, like some kid who kisses his ass every second he gets; he’s like some 20-year-old kid,” Malignaggi said. “And then this guy Artem (Lobov), who’s basically his professional ass-kisser, who’s basically a punching bag. This guy would come in at the end of sparring, and I was looking at it and thinking to myself, ‘Why doesn’t this guy just hit the punching bag?’ At least a punching bag gives more resistance when you hit it. This guy’s useless.

“What’s the the point of doing this? First of all, you’re getting ready for Floyd Mayweather – you want to spar an MMA guy in boxing and an amateur? And that’s what he’s left with basically.”

Still, Malignaggi is not one to pass up a good opportunity. If McGregor manages to hang with Mayweather, all their bad blood is a perfect platform to sell a fight. And Malignaggi argues it’s a better option than putting McGregor against other top boxing contenders, who might further expose him.

“I think there’s genuinely interest in it,” he said. “Let’s face it: What’s he really going to do in boxing? Who’s he going to fight, Errol Spence?”

For more on “The Money Fight: Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor,” check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

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