Former multi-division boxing world champion Floyd Mayweather has announced he will fight UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor in Las Vegas on August 26th.
The long-awaited fight had looked to be edging closer on Tuesday, when the Nevada Athletic Commission approved a request from Mayweather Promotions to host a fight at the MGM Grand on the August date.
The unbeaten, former five-division world champion boxing champion then confirmed the news on Wednesday night. As did McGregor, who tweeted; “THE FIGHT IS ON.”.
IT'S OFFICIAL!!! https://t.co/ND07Ixugs2 pic.twitter.com/JpqFW5WbcB
— Floyd Mayweather (@FloydMayweather) June 14, 2017
THE FIGHT IS ON. pic.twitter.com/KhW0u3jRft
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 14, 2017
UFC former two-weight champion McGregor, a Dublin native, has already applied for a boxing license in Nevada. He has never fought in a professional boxing fight.
Mayweather, now 40, retired undefeated after 49 wins. His last fight was in September 2015.
He had previously said that he would only return to the ring for a big-money bout with the 28-year-old Irishman;
“We have to give the people what they want to see. The fans demand that fight. We have to give them what they want to see to make them happy.”
McGregor meanwhile has not fought since September 2016, and last month his long time partner Dee Devlin gave birth to their son; Conor Jack McGregor Jr.
On November 26th, due to his inactivity in the division, McGregor was stripped of the featherweight championship, but he remains the official UFC lightweight champion after his defeat of Eddie Alvarez.
