Conor McGregor will be eligible for a world title shot in boxing if he beats a fighter ranked in the top 15 by the WBC.
'The Notorious' returns to the Octagon to take on Dustin Poirier in a rematch in the main event of UFC 257 on 23 January and could end up in contention for a UFC lightweight title fight with a victory.
But McGregor, who lost to Floyd Mayweather in his money-spinning professional boxing debut back in August 2017, has always reiterated desire to return to the boxing ring.
In fact, the Irishman has even said, with confidence, that he will secure a world title in boxing.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman is willing to give him the opportunity but states he must earn the right by defeating a credible contender.
Advert
"I would say, he needs to face and defeat a ranked fighter, then he would be eligible to be ranked and to compete for a title," he told The Sun.
"Because, we have plenty of examples of Muay Thai fighters, who turn professional in international boxing, and they are eligible to fight for the title.
"We also have amateur superstars like Vasyl Lomachenko, they come into professional boxing and fight for the title and it's proven it works."
Lomachenko, who boasts a ridiculous 396-1 amateur record, won the WBO featherweight world title in just his first professional fight.
Advert
McGregor's only venture into boxing in a professional capacity was that TKO loss to Mayweather, where he did win a few early rounds before the 50-0 fighter's class shone through.
Sulaiman and the WBC were involved in the promotion for the superfight as a special 'Money' belt was presented to the winner.
And he welcomes McGregor following up with further fights inside the squared circle given his exploits in MMA, where he is 22-4.
Advert
"If he is to start boxing and proves with victories in boxing then he should certainly be given the opportunity to fight for a world title," he explained.
"We, in the WBC, consider the amateur career as one of the criteria for rankings.
"And, for example Muay Thai, in Thailand, we consider that career also when they enter into boxing.
"So, Conor has a mixed martial arts resume, so if he comes into boxing and wins a fight against a ranked fighter, he would be eligible to be ranked.
Advert
"This is not a rookie entering the sport, he has a long history of combat sports, so it's a different scenario of what it used to be in the past.
"I don't know what weight category he would be, but definitely he would need to get a decisive win against a quality opponent to be considered to be ranked."
McGregor claimed he was fighting Manny Pacquiao in the Middle East as part of a Twitter rant back in September and he's regularly expressed a desire to "crack the puzzle" in a lucrative second bout with Mayweather.
Paradigm Sports head honcho Audie Attar, who represents both McGregor and Pacquiao, reckons Mayweather won't agree to a rematch with the former two-weight UFC champion as he "knows he'd lose".
"I do believe Conor vs Floyd again, he beats him. I don't think Floyd ever takes it," the Paradigm Sports boss told Dubai Eye 103.8 Sport.
Advert
"Floyd's taking YouTubers for a paycheck right now. Floyd could take Manny Pacquiao in a rematch, you don't see him taking that fight.
"Floyd could take Conor McGregor for a rematch, you don't see him taking that fight. Floyd knows he would lose if he took on either Manny Pacquiao or Conor McGregor."
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Conor Mcgregor, Boxing News, UFC News, MMA News, UFC, MMA, Floyd Mayweather
