Famous boxing promoter Bob Arum has unloaded on Conor McGregor in an interview with Lance Pugmire of the LA Times.
Arum is the CEO of Top Rank, who today include one Michael Conlan in their stable, and he has a long history with some of the best boxers ever, including Muhammad Ali, Julio Cesar Chavez, Oscar De La Hoya, and Manny Pacquaio.
McGregor has claimed that he will rule boxing "with an iron fist", but Arum claims that he will be hindered by the fact that he will struggle to find a decent promoter. Should he ultimately find one, it is unlikely to be Arum:
After he fights Mayweather, the only promoter I think who might be interested in promoting him is [less prominent, East Coast-based] Artie Pelulo.
Who the fuck would want to promote this guy? He can’t fight for shit. Don’t you understand? He’s not a boxer. It’ll take him years to understand. And there’s so many more talented guys around....
...If you’re going to get yourself in serious discussions about this guy winning, you’re going to look like a fool.
Arum was questioned about the supposed paradox of his calling for McGregor to fight Manny Pacquaio, to which he had a deadpan answer:
Of course I wanted Pacquiao to fight McGregor. Because it was easy money for Pacquiao. It was an opportunity for Pacquiao to pick up big, easy money. This is a one-off thing.
[McGregor] has absolutely no reason to be in the ring with a skilled, professional fighter. And if I was wrong, why didn’t he fight some journeyman to show you belong in the ring?
The full piece can be read here.
See Also: Conor McGregor Rejects Racist Allegations By Tearing Into Floyd Mayweather
