CONFIRMED! Following reports that Mayweather Promotions had reserved an August 26th date for an unspecified event, the fight has been officially announced.
"This is an unprecedented event".
A conference call took place at 8 p.m. ET featuring Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe, UFC President Dana White and Stephen Espinoza of Showtime Sports.
"All parties were motivated and reasonable and thrilled we could get everything done", he said.
"The sky is the limit", Espinoza said.
Mayweather, who has won multiple belts as a boxer and is 49-0, has not fought since September 2015.
If McGregor pulls that off, it would rank among the greatest boxing upsets of all time. "The impossible deal is now done".
The two fighters are expected to do a press tour shortly before going into final training for the fight. Initial reports indicated the Pacquiao fight generated more than 4.4 million USA buys and more than $400 million in domestic pay-per-view revenue alone, with the event jointly produced by HBO and Showtime.
Narendra Modi: India PM talks tough on terror ahead of Trump meeting
He said American companies had a "great opportunity" to contribute to India's growth, a "win-win partnership for both countries". The two heads of state are likely to build on growing ties and move beyond disagreements over climate change.
Mayweather will come off a two-year retirement in a bout that McGregor has been pushing for almost that long.
Mayweather will not be the first boxing champion to take on challenges from opponents steeped in other combat sports.
This should come as a surprise to no one, but McGregor is positive that he'll hand the 40-year-old Mayweather the first loss of his boxing career. News of the fight on Wednesday also triggered waves of scorn across social media, with many branding the bout a "freak show".
Not everyone will be excited to see a Mayweather-McGregor exhibition match, however, especially considering that McGregor is a 25-1 underdog.
Not everyone is a fan of this fight.
After all, the biggest victor is the sport of boxing.
Many MMA fans are still waiting for a rubber match between the Stockton native and McGregor, with the two weight champion narrowly defeating Diaz in their instant classic of a rematch at UFC 202 in August.
Even if the actual bout may not shape up as a great matchup, the run-up to the fight will. It is the most talked about fight on the planet right now. The biggest question left to answer: will people actually tune in to watch McGregor and Mayweather go at it?
Comments