It’s inching closer.
The most lucrative spectacle in combat sports history is reportedly closer to a reality than ever before as Conor McGregor’s much publicised boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather is apparently close to being officially announced.
A report in the Irish Sun claims that both fighters have agreed on a split of the purse for the clash which is set to shatter the previous pay-per-view record held by Mayweather and former foe Manny Pacquiao.
And while there is still a third party hold-up delaying the official announcement, that hurdle could be jumped sooner than you might think.
“Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather have agreed a deal to fight and have both settled on their respective fees,” the newspaper’s source revealed before suggesting that the fight could be made official in the coming fortnight.
The reigning UFC lightweight champion is set to fly to Las Vegas at the end of this week in order to begin putting himself back in the good books of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the governing body that punished McGregor for his role in the bottle-throwing fracas that preceded UFC 202.
Diaz storms out of #ufc202 presser, starts throwing bottles. McGregor returns fire. pic.twitter.com/J7D3hngMWC
— Darragh Murphy (@DarrMurphy) August 17, 2016
McGregor had originally stated an intention to refuse to fight in Las Vegas, so excessive was the fine handed down to him, but it’s understood that he’s cancelled a scheduled Q&A session in Dublin this weekend so that he can be in Vegas to film an anti-bullying Public Service Announcement for the NAC, one of the terms of his punishment.
The Irishman has already obtained a boxing licence in the state of California but Mayweather has traditionally preferred to fight in Nevada, with 13 of his last contests taking place there.
If McGregor pays off his fine, which was originally set at $150,000, and fulfils his obligations in terms of the PSA filming then he could be granted a boxing licence by the NAC too which would act as the biggest indicator yet that the bout could come to fruition.
The latest report is interestingly at odds with the recent comments from UFC president Dana White, who has claimed that the fight would be an impossibility until McGregor sees out his contract with the UFC.
“It will never happen; that’s not even possible. He’s under contract with us. You have a contract for a reason,” White said last week.
“Let me tell you what, there are a lot of contracts out there, no matter what business you are in – UFC or whatever – and it’s pretty tough to get out of a contract.
“And if that’s what Conor wants to do, he’s got four fights left. He’s got four fights left with the UFC. Fight your four fights and, you know, go out and do what you want to do.”
