Manny Pacquiao tells Conor McGregor he will face UFC star in boxing fight

Manny Pacquiao has expressed his desire to fight UFC star Conor McGregor in a boxing match after admitting to not seeing the Dubliner's sparring footage.

The 28-year-old defeated Eddie Alvarez at the UFC 205 main event in New York and created history by becoming the first fighter in the history of the sport to hold two titles at the same time. He was the featherweight champions and got the lightweight belt following his victory over Alvarez.

Following his last win, McGregor has decided to take a break from the UFC as his girlfriend is expecting their first child. He has not stepped into the octagon for a while and there have been reports that the Irishman has now set his sights on fighting boxing legend Floyd Mayweather.

The two have been involved in a war of words in recent times. Pacquiao has offered to fight McGregor, but only inside the ropes and not in the octagon.

"In boxing? In boxing [I would fight McGregor] but not in the UFC, just boxing. I didn't see the footage of Conor sparring. But if we are talking about Conor McGregor and boxing, it's different. Boxing is different than MMA," Pacquiao told Fox Sports.

Pacquiao lost to Mayweather in what was called as the "Fight of the Century" in May 2015. The latter announced his decision to hang up his gloves and holds an impressive record of 49-0 so far.

While there have been talks about a rematch between Pacquiao and Mayweather, the former admitted he can never see a fight between the boxing legend and McGregor taking place.

"I don't know if they are taking it seriously. It's on the news but I don't know if it will happen," the Filipino boxing star stressed.