“I am not fighting in April” – Paulie Malignaggi on Conor McGregor fight

Paulie Malignaggi has insisted that he is not training for a comeback fight against sparring foe Conor McGregor.

Malignaggi and McGregor have been embroiled in a public feud for several months after the reigning UFC lightweight champion leaked edited footage of a sparring session in which he sent Malignaggi to the canvas. 'The Notorious' was preparing for his lucrative boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather and had drafted in the former WBA welterweight champion to give him a taste of what it's like to share a ring with an established pro boxer. But the relationship between McGregor and Malignaggi soon soured and the pair even clashed in the week leading up to the Mayweather fight in Las Vegas. Suggestions have been made ever since McGregor fell short against Mayweather that the Irishman may well take to the boxing ring for a second time against a less accomplished fighter and, considering the history of bad blood, many believe a fight with Malignaggi would make a lot of sense. Malginaggi retired in March but would undoubtedly be tempted back into action if presented with the kind of payday that McGregor would offer. Reports earlier this week even claimed that a deal was already agreed to have McGregor face off with the 36-8 boxer.

"(Paulie) Malignaggi thinks it’s done and dusted for April," boxing pundit Steve Bunce told the 5 Live Boxing Podcast.

But Malignaggi has played down those rumours, announcing that he knows nothing about a fight in the spring.

"Unless Steve has info that I am not privy to, I am not fighting in April," Malignaggi told the Star. "Nor have I heard I'm fighting him at all but April is a long ways away. So who knows."

For months Malignaggi has urged McGregor to release the pair's sparring sessions in full to give a more accurate portrayal of how he fared. Previously unseen footage did appear in the Dubliner's recent documentary but, again, it wasn't conclusive and it remains unlikely that we'll ever see the full session.

"He's not going to release that," Malignaggi insisted. "If he releases that footage, everything he says is a lie. There's no way he's going to release that footage."