MANILA: Philippine boxing icon Manny Pacquiao wants to fight Irish mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor in the ring next year, an aide said in a statement Saturday.

“For the sake of all the Filipino Covid-19 victims, Senator Manny Pacquiao will be fighting UFC superstar Conor McGregor next year,” Pacquiao’s special assistant Jayke Joson said in a statement, adding negotiations are ongoing.

Pacquiao would donate a portion of his prize earnings to Filipino victims of the pandemic, Joson added.