Vasyl Lomachenko offers to spar Conor McGregor

By Chase Carle | Aug 8, 2017

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 05: Vasyl Lomachenko of Ukraine reacts after defeating Miguel Marriaga of Columbia by TKO in the seventh round during their WBO World Championship Junior Lightweight title fight at the Microsoft Theater on August 5, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Conor McGregor may find himself with a new sparring partner ahead of his fight with Floyd Mayweather.

All eyes are on Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather as their anticipated showdown draws closer. Everyone from fans, to pundits, to fighters seem eager to add their thoughts on the matchup. Some are even going a step further and becoming involved in the camps for the fighters.

One of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world seems to be looking to add his name to that second list.

Vasyl Lomachenko, current WBO featherweight and super featherweight champion, reached out to McGregor on Twitter about coming in to spar.

https://twitter.com/VasylLomachenko/status/894991628510912512

Lomachenko is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, a two-time world champion as well as a European champion. His professional record stands at 9-1 with an amateur record of 395-1. “The Matrix” is fresh off a 7th-round TKO victory over Miguel Marriaga on Aug. 5 in Los Angeles.

Lomachenko’s offer comes on the heels of former champion Paulie Malignaggi’s less than harmonious exit from McGregor’s camp.

I won't speak tactics of his, that I wouldn't do, I still have some ethics I'm not Conor but def will give the story straight about stuff. https://t.co/qjwVMN6n5I
— Paul Malignaggi (@PaulMalignaggi) August 6, 2017

Yea but this coming week I'll actually start to discuss a bit what happened Tuesday, he whimpers like a girl when he gets ripped to body lol https://t.co/lfcuILlubJ
— Paul Malignaggi (@PaulMalignaggi) August 6, 2017

While the fallout with Malignaggi may lead to some hesitation on the part of Conor’s camp, there’s no denying the Irishman could benefit from Lomachenko coming in. The Ukranian fighter has a reputation for being difficult to hit, similar to Mayweather. His most successful opponent as far as landing punches go has been Jason Sosa. Sosa landed 68 punches out of 286 thrown, meaning he connected with less than a quarter of his strikes.

The motivation behind the offer is unclear currently. Lomachenko may genuinely want to help McGregor improve or at least gain a measure of where the UFC star is skill wise. It may be a case of the WBO champion taking offense to McGregor’s venture into the boxing world and wanting to teach him a lesson in sparring. It may simply be a way for both stars to use the other to raise their profile in the media.

Next: 30 little-known facts about Conor McGregor

Whatever the reasons behind it, McGregor and his camp should seriously consider the offer on the table.

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