The undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather and two-weight UFC world champion Conor McGregor have agreed to a boxing match on August 26 in Las Vegas. The fight is expected to become the highest grossing event in the history of either sport.
The fight was confirmed on Wednesday evening, with McGregor tweeting “THE FIGHT IS ON,” moments before Mayweather posted a short promotional video to his Instagram page, along with the caption “It’s official”.
Mayweather was immediately made the overwhelming favourite to win the fight by bookmakers across the world. He boasts a flawless professional record of 49-0, while McGregor has never previously been involved in a boxing match.
Negotiations for the fight have lasted longer than a year, with each man demanding upwards of $100m and insisting that they were the main draw.
The exact financial details of the fight have not been disclosed, but in a media call both parties insisted they were satisfied with how the negotiations had proceeded.
“Everybody is happy,” Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, said. “Nobody is bummed out about this deal,” said Dana White, the president of the UFC. He later described the contest as “the biggest fight ever.”
White went on to reveal a number of details about the potentially record-breaking fight, including that the 12-round contest would be held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with both men weighing in at 154 pounds.
Mayweather Promotions, rather than the UFC, will publicize the event, which will be available on Showtime pay-per-view in the United States. The PPV price is expected to cost in excess of $100.
“We're not only drawing from the universe of boxing fans and the universe of MMA fans, we've actually tapped into the audience that doesn't follow either sport,” Showtime Sports executive vice president Stephen Espinoza said. “This is an unprecedented event.”
McGregor will be looking to pull off one of the greatest upsets in the history of sport when he takes on Mayweather in his first professional boxing match.
Although the Irishman is a two-weight world champion in the sport of mixed martial arts, he has not boxed competitively since the age of 16, when he was an All-Ireland champion at youth level.
In contrast, Mayweather is widely regarded as one of the best defensive boxers to have ever lived.
He has been knocked to the canvas just once in his 21-year professional career – in a fight he would come back to win via a unanimous decision – and possesses the highest average punch connect rate of any active fighter, according to the respected computerized scoring system CompuBox.
Should he defeat McGregor, he will move ahead of former heavyweight great Rocky Marciano, who also retired with a perfect 49-0 career record.
Here, we preview every element of the contest dubbed 'the billion-dollar fight'.
Where will the fight take place?
Mayweather Promotions have reportedly reserved the T-Mobile Arena for the superfight.
The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas will stage the contest (Getty)
The Los Angeles Times' Lance Pugmire had initially reported the Nevada Athletic Commission granted a request from Mayweather Promotions to schedule the fight for August 26 at the nearby MGM Grand.
But UFC President Dana White confirmed on Wednesday that the fight would be held at the marginally larger T-Mobile Arena.
When will the fight take place?
Multiple dates had been suggested, but the fight will take place on August 26.
Mayweather’s promotional company had also booked out the MGM Grand for July 29, but that date is most likely being used for the Mikey Garcia-Adrien Broner fight.
Full story at http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/boxing/mayweather-mcgregor-floyd-vs-conor-fight-date-august-26-venue-odds-purse-predictions-news-a7788416.html#gallery