Conor McGregor is now down one sparring partner after former world champion Paulie Malignaggi has abruptly left the McGregor training camp.
Malignaggi left the camp in Las Vegas after Dave Fogarty, one of McGregor's photographers, posted this photo below, which has sent social media into a frenzy.
The two fighters have been sparring this week in order to help McGregor prepare for his August 26 fight against Floyd Mayweather.
There had been reports of the two fighters getting into an intense sparring session this week. The sparring got so wild at times that former referee Joe Cortez, who had been hired to referee the sparring sessions, said he has had to keep both fighters under control and separate the two of them.
Regarding the sparring session from August 2, Malignaggi said McGregor shoved him down to the ground, but there were no knockouts in the session. There was also a photo of Malignaggi sporting a bruised face towards the end of their sparring session, but said that was to be expected.
"There was a pushdown yesterday," Malignaggi said on August 2. "Conor on the inside, he can get a little rough. He shoved me down, you know, but no knockdowns. Obviously, 12 rounds, you're gonna see there's a mark on my face. Very, very hard work for both of us. I was starting to get in a groove in the middle rounds, starting to land some good shots. Conor really came on strong in the end. It was back and forth."
After social media blew up with the picture of him on the canvas, Malignaggi posted a statement, which can be seen in the tweet below, announcing that he would be leaving the McGregor camp.
Before Malignaggi's statement was posted, the former welterweight world champion had urged people with the footage of the sparring session to release the uncut and unedited footage.
Malignaggi has stated that McGregor "got some pop in the left hand." Malignaggi retired from boxing earlier this year after a near 17-year career that saw Malignaggi win the IBF junior welterweight and WBA welterweight world titles.
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