After tons of speculation, the long-awaited bout between two of combat sports’ best has finally been set.
According to various sources, the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight that’ll pit boxing vs. MMA has been set for August 26th. The venue for the bout was originally reported to be the MGM Grand in Las Vegas however recent mentions now has it at the T-Mobile Arena.
Breaking: The Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight is official and will be held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Aug. 26. pic.twitter.com/CVhbgPguTo
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 14, 2017
UFC President Dana White confirmed that the fight will have a weight limit of 154-pounds while Mayweather will have to end a 23-month retirement at the age of 40 to face the MMA superstar. Despite that, Mayweather will enter the fight at a huge favorite at negative-1000 with the only thing on the line for himself is an undefeated record at 49-0 with 26 KO’s.
For McGregor, the 28-year-old southpaw from Ireland is the first UFC fighter to hold two divisional title simultaneously. McGregor and his 21-3 record however make his boxing debut against arguably one of the greatest boxers to ever stop foot in the ring. Still though, McGregor like Mayweather is set for a major payday.
Hype-wise, there may not be a bigger draw in recent combat sports history. The months and weeks leading up to August 26 may have as much theatre as the actual bout itself considering the personalities of both fighters. Needless to say there won’t be any shortage of shit talking between the two.
And despite the line you can’t totally write-off McGregor given the boxing criteria. For starters McGregor is 12-years younger than Mayweather who will be coming off a long layoff. Second lets not forget McGregor’s style of a standup southpaw striker who has no problems switching to the conventional stance. Not to mention not much will be lost for McGregor in the cross over who prefers to stay on his feet rather than mix it up on the floor.
