- The Washington Times - Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather each confirmed Wednesday in a pair of tweets that their much-anticipated fight will happen.

Yahoo Sports, citing sources, reported earlier in the day that the unbeaten Mayweather would fight UFC lightweight champion McGregor on Aug. 26 in Las Vegas.

The bout, pitting an undefeated boxer against an “ultimate fighter,” is expected, by some accounts, to net more than $100 million apiece for McGregor and Mayweather.

Mayweather will enter the fight 49-0 and viewed as one of the best defensive boxers in the history of the sport.

Immediately, McGregor has been given little chance. As a mixed martial artist now restricted to only boxing, the assumption is that he will rarely be able to make contact with Mayweather, an issue that has perplexed Mayweather’s traditionally trained opponents.

Another issue will be stamina. McGregor averaged 5:35 of action during his MMA career. Mayweather’s fights last 10.9 rounds — or almost 33 minutes — per fight.

No matter the apparent mismatch, the hype and hyperbole will rumble through at an astonishing rate. Both Mayweather, who became a promoter after retiring, and McGregor are renowned talkers. McGregor spent a recent pre-fight conference call swearing and ranting about how he was the best in the history of the sport while his opponent was also on the open line. Mayweather heads “The Money Team” and often places enormous bets before his fights.

If nothing else, the event will be big-top level spectacle.

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