Artem Lobov Confident In Conor McGregor's Preparation, Wants Boxing Match

Artem Lobov Confident In Conor McGregor's Preparation, Wants Boxing Match

Conor McGregor's teammate Artem Lobov wants to following his teammate into boxing.

Aug 20, 2017 by FloCombat Staff
Artem Lobov Confident In Conor McGregor's Preparation, Wants Boxing Match
For FloCombat via A.G Fight

Not many people can claim to have built Conor McGregor into the fighter he is today. Artem Lobov most certainly is one of those select few.

The Russian-Irish MMA fighter and longtime training partner of McGregor at SBG Ireland is known to have helped shape himself as well as "The Notorious" into dangerous fighters through years of infamously tough sparring sessions. Keeping that in mind, it shouldn't come as a surprise who "The Russian Hammer" picks to win the blockbuster boxing bout between McGregor and Floyd Mayweather on August 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"They said that we weren't good enough to prepare him for [José] Aldo, and you've seen what happened then," Lobov said, referring to McGregors infamous 13-second knockout of the UFC's then-featherweight champion in 2015. "They said that Aldo hadn't been defeated in 10 years. He's a pound-for-pound No. 1 guy. Conor is not good enough to beat him. His team isn't good enough to beat him, and what happened? It took seconds."

That victory at UFC 194 is one of the reasons why Lobov doesn't understand how anyone could question his team's ability to prepare McGregor for any challenge that's out there. Even if it comes in the form of a 49-0 boxing champion.

"Why would we change a winning formula?" Lobov said. "This is the proven formula. This is the team that got him to world titles, so why would we change anything?

"Standup has always been [McGregor's] thing. As a boxer, it's just getting a lot easier. He doesn't have to worry about kicks. He doesn't have to worry about knees. He doesn't have to worry about takedowns. So now, when he only has to worry about hands, he can truly showcase his capabilities as a standup fighter. It's a lot harder to do that in MMA […]. In boxing, you don't have to worry about any of those things, you can just be yourself and enjoy every second of every round."

That's what McGregor has done in preparation, according to Lobov. Over the course of camp, such was the case when former two-time boxing world champion Paulie Malignaggi stopped by for a few sparring sessions. The partnership was cut short, though, when photos of Malignaggi on his knees in the ring were leaked, which prompted him to deny a knockdown, leave the camp, and start a public feud with McGregor and his team.

"I was there, but there was no beef with Paulie," Lobov commented on the social media feud that unfolded over the past few weeks. "Paulie came out with some very harsh things at the very start, but, despite all that, we invited him over to spar. He was put into a house. He was provided with food, a car, and he was paid, as well, on top of everything. What else can you expect?

"And then, when the first fight happened, we didn't release any pictures. There was nothing being said. And on the way from the gym to the house, he already had done like four or five interviews, straight after the spar. So, he was the one that started talking about everything, and he brought us in a position where, obviously, we had to release some of the information as well and show what actually happened in the spar, which was the knockdown."

Showing that to the public is not trash talk, according to Lobov. If something indeed happened, even if someone might not like hearing about it, Lobov said there's nothing wrong with speaking out.

"This is not our style, come on," Lobov said. "You can say whatever you want, but we've never been sh*t talkers. We've always been truth talkers. Everything we say is fact."

So, would Lobov say that McGregor has a good shot at beating maybe the best boxer of all time?

"Absolutely. Judging from the spar with Paulie, we all were very, very happy," Lobov said. "Paulie is a two-time world champion. If I'm honest, Conor just manhandled him. If you didn't know that Paulie was a two-time world champion. You would've never guessed it from that spar. Conor dominated every second of every round."

And what about Lobov himself? Once the hype and thrill of #MayMac is over, would "The Russian Hammer" entertain the idea of lacing up a pair of 10-ounce gloves himself?

"I would love to," Lobov said. "A few years back, actually, I was trying to get a boxing license. But some of the politics in the sport prevented me from competing in boxing. But down the line, I would certainly love to try my hand at boxing."