Prior to the leaked sparring footage that painted Conor McGregor in a positive light, the world saw tape that did the exact opposite.
We highlighted how fantastic Conor McGregor looked in those brief clips in the ring with Paulie Malignaggi, and aside from the cardio issues, the footage appeared to be a fairly accurate representation of his boxing skills.
He stepped into the ring against arguably the greatest boxer ever for his professional debut and although he was overmatched and outclassed, he was far from embarrassed by Floyd Mayweather.
There were huge concerns about how McGregor would fare Mayweather once Chris van Heerden leaked footage of a sparring session he had with ‘The Notorious’. The footage showed McGregor getting tagged a lot by the former IBO and IBF welterweight champion. His excuse for sharing was to respond to those who were claiming Mayweather will have his hands full trying to land on the UFC superstar.
People telling me Mayweather will have his hands full trying to land on McGregor -STOP IT! I respect McGregor BUT i ain't Floyd and i landed pic.twitter.com/gd4dFi3XUU
— Chris van Heerden (@TheHeat001) June 14, 2017
Once McGregor showcased his ‘Big Irish Balls’ by lasting 10 rounds against Mayweather and landing some significant punches on the master of evasion in the process. AÂ lot of people from the boxing community, in particular, were forced to eat their words after the Money Fight.
Van Heerden was one of them, as he explained to Fight Hub TV. He praised the Dubliner on his performance adding that he exceeded his expectations.
“Like I said, I would be a man. When McGregor proves me wrong I’m going to be a man and do that because, you know what, I never expected Conor to be there for 10 rounds and I didn’t expect him to do as good as he did.
“So I want to go ahead and say congratulations to Conor McGregor. You proved me wrong and I’m man enough to say that. Well done, brother. Respect to you.”
Very big of him to admit that.
