
Buckle up, folks. Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor is actually going to happen. A report from Yahoo’s Kevin Iole has the breaking news.
Unbeaten boxer Floyd Mayweather will fight UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor in a much-discussed boxing match on Aug. 26 in Las Vegas, a well-placed source told Yahoo Sports on Wednesday. Mayweather is expected to make the announcement on social media as early as Wednesday.
Terms of the deal were not available, but it will either be at the MGM Grand Garden or T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Nevada Athletic Commission on Wednesday approved the request from Mayweather Promotions to put on a boxing card on Aug. 26 at the MGM Grand. The venue could change, however, to T-Mobile.
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Neither UFC president Dana White, Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe or Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza could be reached for comment.
Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal also reported that we could see an official announcement on Wednesday.
BREAKING: Sources tell the Review-Journal announcement of a mega-fight between Floyd Mayweather & Conor McGregor could come as soon as today
— Adam Hill (@AdamHillLVRJ) June 14, 2017
Mayweather is 49-0 and considered one of the greatest boxers of all-time, and certainly a defensive genius. He retired in 2015 after defeating Manny Pacquiao in a record-setting PPV blockbuster, followed by a unanimous decision win over Andre Berto. He’s captured world championships from 130 lbs all the way up to 154 lbs, but became a bonafide A-side superstar as a welterweight (147 lbs).
Like Mayweather, McGregor (21-3) is also undefeated as a professional boxer, sporting a record of 0-0. In MMA, he has quickly become one of the biggest stars in combat sports history, and is coming off an emphatic TKO win over Eddie Alvarez to capture the UFC lightweight title. He is the only fighter in history to simultaneously hold two UFC championship belts, but currently he’s just the lightweight champ. His lethal striking has captivated the MMA world, with 18 of his 21 wins coming by KO or TKO.
Mayweather vs. McGregor is expected to be shown on Showtime PPV, with an all-boxing undercard populated by Mayweather Promotions fighters. Former WBC super middleweight champion Badou Jack (21-1-2, 12 KOs) and current WBO junior lightweight champion Gervonta Davis (18-0, 17 KOs) are both strong candidates to be on this event.
It is unknown at what weight this fight will take place at, but I’m sure we’ll find out in due time. McGregor wanted the big money bout against boxing’s richest ever fighter, and he’s got it. It’s the biggest boxing PPV draw of all-time against the biggest UFC PPV draw of all-time, but the fight itself will be contested in the boxing ring.
UPDATE: Here’s Mayweather confirming the fight is on.
IT’S OFFICIAL!!! https://t.co/ND07Ixugs2 pic.twitter.com/JpqFW5WbcB
— Floyd Mayweather (@FloydMayweather) June 14, 2017
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