If former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor wants to record his first win in the boxing ring at the second time of trying next year, Stephen A. Smith doesn't think Logan Paul would be a smart opponent.
Talk of the next step in McGregor's combat sports career has largely centered around a UFC return in recent times. That was originally announced toward the start of 2023 ahead of his and Michael Chandler's battle as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter.
But that reality series and two calendar years will have passed by without the Irishman making the walk again. Nevertheless, McGregor has remained steadfast on insisting that his career is not over, and he's now eyeing up a clash with Chandler for 2025.
First, however, it would appear "The Notorious" has his sights on a surprising assignment in the squared circle.
McGregor — whose most recent battle came in the courtroom, where he was found liable for assault after being accused of rape — took to social media this week to claim an exhibition boxing match with Logan Paul is in the works, with the billionaire Ambani family looking to stage it in India.
While it remains to be seen how truthful the Dubliner's claim is, that hasn't stopped fans and pundits alike from pondering how a clash with the older Paul brother would play out.
During a recent episode of ESPN's First Take, Sports television personality Stephen A. Smith gave his take on the potential matchup.
For McGregor, it didn't make for good listening...
I think Logan Paul is going to beat him," Smith said. "I don’t think that Conor McGregor is a boxer; he’s a striker. So, he’s sitting up there, and he ain’t even throwing his jab. He’s pitter-pattering. You ain’t clipping Logan Paul like that. You’ve got to do more than that.
We don’t know yet (which size gloves they’re using), but it doesn’t matter. Unless it’s pillows like 16 or 18 ounces, it ain’t going to work. I just think that Logan Paul is bigger, he’s a much bigger man, he’s a more experienced boxer," Smith continued. "Those big muscles are going to make you a bit slower, and you’ve got to remember that Conor had quickness, he could catch you quick and clip you. That’s not going to be the case in the boxing ring.
Like younger brother Jake, Logan does have experience in the exhibition and crossover boxing realm. He battled fellow online star and now-business partner KSI twice before later facing a shared opponent with McGregor in Floyd Mayweather. Having gone the distance in that exhibition, "The Maverick" returned to the ring in 2023 to defeat Dillon Danis.
McGregor, meanwhile, has not boxed competitively since being TKO'd by Mayweather in their highly covered 2017 bout. Judging by Jake Paul's recent claim that he, too, has been offered a match with the Irishman recently, it would appear the UFC star is intent on his next outing coming in the ring.