UFC champion Conor McGregor and boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. have finally closed a deal to square off in a highly-anticipated boxing match this August in Las Vegas.
Mayweather posted the announcement on social media on Wednesday with the words, “IT’S OFFICIAL!!!” McGregor, well known for his trash-talking, also posted an announcement saying, “THE FIGHT IS ON,” along with a picture of himself and Mayweather’s father.
The pay-per-view match will take place on August 26 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Mayweather is widely regarded as one of the best boxers of all time, having compiled a professional record of 49-0 in his career. He retired from boxing in 2015 after a unanimous decision victory over Andre Berto. Prior to that, Mayweather fought Manny Pacquiao in what became the highest-grossing pay-per-view fight of all time. Initial reports indicated the Pacquiao fight generated more than 4.4 million U.S. buys and more than $400 million in domestic pay-per-view revenue alone, with the event jointly produced by HBO and Showtime. Live gate receipts for the event, also held at the MGM Grand, produced more than $71 million in revenue, compared with the previous live gate record of $20 million (for the Mayweather vs. “Canelo” Álvarez fight).
More to come…