Eddie Hearn has moved to play down the possibility of Conor McGregor fighting on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s fight with Tyson Fury, it has emerged.
The British world heavyweight champions have agreed to a two-fight deal, according to the trustworthy Hearn. And it’s understood McGregor’s team approached the Matchroom promoter about the prospect of the Notorious One squaring off against ageing Soviet boxer Ivan Drago on the undercard.
McGregor announced his 17th career retirement last week ahead of yet another hotly anticipated and lucrative comeback bout. The former two-division UFC champion labelled former Olympic gold medallist Ivan Drago as the ‘perfect opponent’, given the Russian’s profile and the fact he’s almost 60-years-old.
It’s believed Drago agreed to come out of retirement for a lucrative payday amid rumours of bankruptcy following his much-publicised divorce from Ludmilla Vobet.
Who is this? Wrong answers only… pic.twitter.com/gjzH4PUN4f
— I❤️80s𝕏 (@IL0VEthe80s) June 9, 2020
The 59-year-old, once dubbed the ‘Death from Above’, fled the USSR in disgrace in 1985 after he lost an epic 15-round bout with Rocky Balboa in front of Mikhail Gorbachev in Moscow. However, much to the disappointment of McGregor’s supporters, Eddie Hearn has played down the likelihood of the Irishman facing Drago on the undercard.
‘I don’t think it’ll happen’, revealed the 41-year-old told Boxing Social.
‘Ivan’s still under investigation by the WBA over those intramuscular injections he received while training to face Balboa. The doping rumours have to be put to bed before he’s able to fight in the ring’.
But the promoter gave fans a glimmer of hope we could still see the pair square off against each other in an unsanctioned bar fight.
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— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) June 10, 2020
‘It’s possible’, nodded Hearn. ‘We could set it up so that Ivan is minding his own business at the bar and then Conor comes in and sucker punches him in the side of the head’.
‘It could be a pub in Dublin, Saudi Arabia, the possibilities are endless really’.
Meanwhile, upon hearing that Hearn had negotiated a two-fight deal with Fury, Joshua was spotted buying a box of Immodium in a London Superdrug.
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