It has become clear to many of late that Paulie Malignaggi's beef with Conor McGregor may be motivated by more than just mere dislike.
Malignaggi has spent much of the build up to tonight's fight publicly insulting McGregor, stemming from his being upset during sparring with McGregor.
Andy Lee told Second Captains that Malignaggi has not come out of the dispute looking well, believing him to be angling for a fight with the Irishman:
Malignaggi got what he deserved. I know Paulie and I like him, but C'mon. He talked the talk going in there, and I think he was totally naive when he did go in there. He was in no boxing shape, his last fight he had lost to a European level fighter. He walked in, you could see he looked a bit sheepish shaking McGregor's hand, who was fully focused.
Since then, and the leaving of the camp...I follow him on Twitter, and it's constant tweets, and replies to nearly everybody. I can see what he's trying to do. The cynic in me says he is trying to line himself up as the next opponent. McGregor loses, and hey, Malignaggi and McGregor, unfinished business. Something like that.
But he's done brilliantly out of it, in terms of publicity. More people know him in Ireland than before, even when he was world champion. But what goes on in the gym, that usually stays in the gym. But he made it an issue, and they pulled his bluff.
Yeah, the photo of McGregor with his hands behind his back was a little disrespectful, but he should have played it off and moved on.
He comes out looking bad, but I can see what he's angling for.
Malignaggi is in Vegas, doing analysis on the fight for Showtime, and while on air at the T-Mobile Arena, he was goaded by a group of Irish fans, at whom he failed to keep his cool.
Watch it below:
#PaulieMalignaggi goes after #Irish fans who were mocking him at #MayweatherMcGregor weigh-ins pic.twitter.com/gwl6qsjFyP
— Eric Kowal (@MyMMANews) August 26, 2017
