The fight we all wanted will happen. UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor will match up against undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather in T-Mobile Arena's boxing ring in Las Vegas on August 26. It will be a standard boxing match at 154 pounds.
Mayweather and McGregor finally say yes
Mayweather finally agreed to return to the ring at the right price, and McGregor was finally able to see the fruits of his trash talk. Mayweather's astounding 49-0 record is on the balance, but what is guaranteed is the excess of $100 million the two fighters will earn.
Mayweather, 40, confirmed the combat with a tweet that read: "It's official", while McGregor, 28, said in his tweet: "The fight is on." However, it has been a long wait for the boxing and mixed martial art fans of the world.
Dana White, UFC president, was able to reach an agreement with McCregor on May 18. All that was left was Mayweather's side, but the "Moneymaker" could only be convinced by at least nine figures.
Mayweather and Pacquiao's fight on May 2015 has the pay-per-view record of 4.6 million buys in the U.S. Dana White, who was an active player in McGregor's negotiations, believes this match will produce even better numbers. "It's definitely going to be the biggest fight ever in combat sports history and probably going to be the biggest pay day ever," he said.
In addition, White believes in McGregor's chances against Mayweather. White makes reference to the fact that McGregor is a southpaw and Mayweather has usually had more problems with these kinds of fighters.
Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather Promotions' chief executive, also exalted the fight. "There is a different feel from the Pacquiao fight. It is the unknown factor," he said.
De la Hoya criticizes the fight
On the other end of the spectrum are those who criticize this match. One voice that stands out is that of boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya.
In an open letter on Facebook last month, De la Hoya did not shy away from calling the potential fight a "farce" and a "circus". He saw the audience being the clear losers of it all. In his eyes, the two fighters are only interested in the money and will, therefore, deliver a poor performance. One will return to retirement and the other to UFC once the paycheck arrives.
Thus, "it's a win-win for them. It's a lose-lose for us," says De la Hoya.
Mayweather will have the chance to surpass Rocky Marciano's career record. Only McGregor, who has never boxed competitively before, stands in the way of the best boxer of his generation. The odds are against the Irishman, but the boxing world hopes it was more than a publicity stunt from his part.
