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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Kieran Cunningham

Conor McGregor too divisive to be involved in Katie Taylor homecoming

Last August, Salma al-Shehab was sentenced to 34 years in prison in Saudi Arabia because she followed and retweeted dissidents on Twitter.

It was the latest black mark against a country that should be beyond the pale.

A country that executed 81 men on one day last March - some were killed for holding ''deviant beliefs''.

READ MORE: Eddie Hearn gives Katie Taylor Croke Park update after meeting Conor McGregor in Dublin

Saudi law has led to gay people being punished for homosexual acts with public whippings and chemical castration, as well as executions.

But, in the same week as the 34 year prison sentence was imposed on al-Shehab, boxing heavyweight superstars Anthony Joshu and Oleksandr Usyk fought each other in Jeddah.

According to the promoter of the fight, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom, Joshua v Usyk had to take place in Saudi.

“I’m very comfortable, particularly in boxing, to make decisions like that. It’s a prize fight where, contractually, we have to go to the venue that ultimately creates the most amount of revenue for this fight,'' he said.

“Even if I felt it was morally incorrect to come here, I would still come.”

To Hearn, it was strictly business.

There is a photograph of Hearn having lunch with Daniel Kinahan and Matthew Macklin in Marbella, the founders of MTK Global, in 2014. They met to discuss boxing business.

After the exposure of the Kinahan/boxing story to a wider audience on BBC's Panorama programme, Hearn was asked about negotiating a possible Joshua v Tyson Fury fight with the cartel leader.

"We will work with whoever we are told to work with by a fighter who we are trying to make a fight with. In that case, Daniel Kinahan was advising Tyson Fury,'' he said.

Now the talk is of Hearn meeting Conor McGregor to discuss the MMA superstar covering part of the cost of Katie Taylor fighting in Dublin in the future.

Conor McGregor with Katie Taylor (Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

It's only a matter of weeks since McGregor went on social media to challenge Paul McGrath, as loved as Taylor, to a fight. McGrath is 63 years old.

McGregor is currently under investigation in Spain over an alleged physical assault on a woman on his yacht in Ibiza.

A civil case against McGregor is also being taken here by a Dublin woman over an alleged incident in 2018.

He has denied the allegations in both cases.

There are reasons why McGregor is the most divisive figure in Irish sport. Hearn has to see sense. This would be bad business.

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