Alright, alright, y’all have probably seen this by now… Conor McGregor sparring with Chris Van Heerder, the boxer. It’s fairly apparent in the video that Conor seems to be struggling with the boxer’s hands. Now, whether or not it was a test run of something new or that perhaps McGregor hadn’t turned it up to 100% hasn’t been confirmed. But needles to say, it does bring up some uncertainties for Conor’s chances in his upcoming boxing match with Floyd Mayweather. Uncertainties that it would seem Chris, Conor’s training partner in the video, felt the need to voice in a recent interview.
Now onto the interview, in it Van Heerder says that in no way does he mean any disrespect towards Conor, and also that he had a chance, although small, to cause an upset in the fight and beat Floyd Mayweather. Let’s get on with it shall we?
“I’m a southpaw, I love southpaw, southpaws always have a big advantage. I have nothing but respect for McGregor. There’s no bad blood. I think he’s phenomenal. Being a southpaw, it’s going to work in his favor. He’s got the power to do it. I wasn’t fazed by his power, I wasn’t hurt. But then again, we didn’t have ten ounce gloves on, and, you know, he’s got some small chance of causing an upset.”
“At the time, I was helping McGregor, I knew it was for the rematch with Nate Diaz, and the talks just started off, with the Conor McGregor [Floyd Mayweather] scene.
“I’m not a sparring partner. I wasn’t part of the camp. I wasn’t paid to help McGregor… I helped him because I saw the platform. I knew the Conor McGregor-Mayweather thing was gonna pull off, because the energy, the vibes, it was gonna happen. I took the advantage.”
Like many, many other fighters, boxers and UFC fighters alike, Chris Van Heerder would dearly love a fight on the under card of McGregor-Mayweather. He even voices this in the interview.
“I’m a welterweight fighter. I’m rated number 11 by the WBA. I want to be on that card. I feel I deserve a shot to be on that card, and I want to fight Lamont Peterson, the WBA world champion. He’s sitting on the couch; if he wants to get off the couch, accept my challenge. I will bring my own purse to the fight, I just want to fight on that card.”
So what do you think? Will McGregor’s blazing left hand and chaotic, yet methodical style be enough to throw Mayweather off-guard?
Or will Floyd, often hailed as on of the greatest boxers of all time, if not the best, come out on top like he has on so many other nights?
Let us know!