Manny Pacquiao ready to fight Conor McGregor if Floyd Mayweather backs out

Manny Pacquiao, the reigning WBO welterweight champion, has offered to fight Conor McGregor if Floyd Mayweather Jr. were to back out the looming mega fight. Promoter Bob Arum has stated publicly that Pacquiao would jump into the McGregor sweepstakes after his title defence against Australian Jeff Horn on July 2.

Pacquiao, according to several analysts, has his work cut out against Horn at the Suncorp Stadium -- a fight many consider Australia's biggest-ever boxing bout. Though Pacquiao is favoured on paper, the Filipino has reportedly taken out a multimillion-dollar insurance policy after stressing on a rematch clause in his contract. Pacquiao (59-6-2) won both his fights in 2016 against Timothy Bradley (Apr. 9) and Jessie Vargas (Nov. 5). However, he hasn't secured a knockout victory since 2009 and has lost three of his last eight bouts.

Manny Pacquiao vs Jeff Horn takes place on July 2

Arum told TMZ Sports on Sunday that McGregor should consider Pacquiao as an opponent if Mayweather were to back out. “Pacquiao has a really tough fight against this guy in Australia, Jeff Horn. After that fight on July first here in the United States, after that fight, if McGregor is still looking for an opponent, Manny Pacquiao is there.”

UFC president Dana White recently revealed that McGregor has already agreed to terms on the proposed mega-fight with Mayweather. “The McGregor side is done, I’m starting to work on the Mayweather side now. I’m not saying the fight will happen, but I got one side done, now it’s time to work on the other. If we can come to a deal with (Al) Haymon and (Floyd) Mayweather, the fight’s going to happen," White told TNT, via Fox Sports.

Arum and Mayweather had a falling out in 2007, resulting in the latter starting his own promotion company. Arum has a stern message for Dana White: “Be patient. Don’t give in. Dana is a good negotiator and he’ll get the thing done, but he can’t get pushed around by Mayweather and his people.”

If Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather takes place, it will likely go down as the most lucrative fight in combat sports history. Recently, one business analyst suggested that Mayweather could purse over $US500 million (AU$697 million) from the fight.