Watch: What happened when Sergey Kovalev met Conor McGregor?
Sergey Kovalev and Conor McGregor had a rather intriguing interaction at Michael Conlan’s professional boxing debut, on March 17th, 2017. Kovalev and McGregor’s conversation, body language, and interplay as a whole led many to believe that the two fighters had a verbal confrontation.
As displayed in the video posted by Artorias Boxing, Sergey Kovalev and Conor McGregor were seen interacting during the boxing event that took place at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden, in New York City, New York.
The combat sports world was set abuzz by the video footage of the interaction between feared boxing KO artist Sergey Kovalev and UFC icon Conor McGregor. Many believed that Kovalev had walked up to McGregor and then threatened the MMA star.
However, these rumors – about Kovalev threatening McGregor, and the two fighters having some verbal confrontation at the event – were eventually disproven.
Conor McGregor was in attendance to witness the professional boxing debut of fellow Irish fighter – 2012 Olympic boxing bronze medalist Michael Conlan. In what was a stunning performance, Conlan defeated Tim Ibarra via third-round TKO. McGregor was seen cheering for Conlan throughout the fight.
In the days that ensued, Sergey Kovalev was questioned about his alleged confrontation with Conor McGregor, in response to which he suggested that there was no confrontation between them. Kovalev insinuated that the interaction was cordial and that McGregor is a ‘good guy’.
Sergey Kovalev had praised Conor McGregor back in 2016, and he had noted that he likes McGregor’s fighting style, which he believes shares similarities with his own aggressive fighting style.
In an interview with Fight Hub TV, a few days after his alleged confrontation with Conor McGregor, Sergey Kovalev was asked about what happened between him and McGregor. Kovalev revealed that he stated the following to McGregor: “You’re a good guy”.
Sergey Kovalev and Conor McGregor continue entertaining combat sports fans worldwide
Sergey Kovalev’s last fight was against Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in November 2019. Kovalev lost that fight via 11th-round KO, thereby losing his WBO light heavyweight title to Canelo Alvarez.
Kovalev is now scheduled to fight Bektemir Melikuziev on January 30th, 2021. Despite suffering a few setbacks in recent years, Kovalev is still regarded as one of the most entertaining fighters in professional boxing today.
On the other hand, Conor McGregor’s last fight was a first-round TKO victory over Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in January 2020. McGregor is scheduled to face Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 on January 23rd, 2021.