Tag: boxing

Floyd Mayweather’s Promotion Reserves Arena in August Amid Conor McGregor Rumors

Mayweather Promotions have booked the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for August 26, 2017, amid ongoing speculation that retired Floyd Mayweather and UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor could meet in the ring.
As noted by Mo…

Mayweather Promotions have booked the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for August 26, 2017, amid ongoing speculation that retired Floyd Mayweather and UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor could meet in the ring.

As noted by Mookie Alexander of BloodyElbow.com, the August 26 entry in the Nevada Athletic Commission’s event calendar reads: “Mayweather Promotions will promote a professional boxing event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. This event will be televised on Showtime.”

Mayweather, 40, hung up his gloves in 2015 after defeating Andre Berto to retire with an immaculate 49-0 professional record.

He exclusively fought at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in the last eight years of his career, encompassing his final 12 bouts, which notably included defeats of Oscar De La Hoya, Juan Manuel Marquez, Canelo Alvarez and Manny Pacquiao.

Were Money to come out of retirement, he would likely opt to fight again at the Las Vegas venue.

And talk of a crossover clash between Mayweather and Irishman McGregor has been ongoing for much of 2017.

As recently as Sunday the 28-year-old McGregor posted a cryptic message on Instagram that had the rumour mill rumbling again:

The former UFC featherweight champion revealed back in May that he had signed his part of the deal for the clash with Mayweather, per Themaclife.com (via Nick Lustig of Sky Sports).

The booking of the MGM Grand is potentially another hint that the huge bout could soon be made official. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Report: Mayweather Reserves August 26 Date At MGM Grand

A boxing match between former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather and reigning UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor could be happening ‘sooner than you think’, per a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal. To add more fuel to the fire, Mayweather has reserved an August 26, 2017 date at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, […]

The post Report: Mayweather Reserves August 26 Date At MGM Grand appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

A boxing match between former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather and reigning UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor could be happening ‘sooner than you think’, per a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

To add more fuel to the fire, Mayweather has reserved an August 26, 2017 date at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s event calendar.

“Mayweather Promotions will promote a professional boxing event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. This event will be televised on Showtime.”

During the tail end of his career, “Money” typically fought at the MGM, making it a likely landing spot for a potential bout between him and the “Notorious” one.

It’s also important to note that the UFC does not have an event booked for that date.

In addition, this new bit of knowledge comes after a recent Instagram post made by McGregor, which the Irishman used to hint that ‘Something BIG is coming’:

Something BIG is coming #BP

A post shared by Conor McGregor Official (@thenotoriousmma) on

McGregor hasn’t competed since last November when he brutally knocked out Eddie Alvarez in the main event of UFC 205 from New York City to become the promotion’s lightweight champion. Since then, he has been out of action due to the birth of his first child.

Mayweather, on the other hand, hasn’t competed since Sept. 2015 when he scored a one-sided decision victory over Andre Berto. He announced his retirement after the bout, but said earlier this year that he was making a return to the ring to fight McGregor.

Do you expect this bout to be made official in the coming days?

The post Report: Mayweather Reserves August 26 Date At MGM Grand appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Dana White Says He’s ‘Running’ Floyd Mayweather, Conor McGregor Fight Talks

Despite a report to the contrary, UFC President Dana White said Thursday he is heading fight talks between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor.
Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday that WME-IMG and Mayweather’s manager, Al Haymon, h…

Despite a report to the contrary, UFC President Dana White said Thursday he is heading fight talks between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor.

Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday that WME-IMG and Mayweather’s manager, Al Haymon, had taken center stage with White having no involvement.

According to TMZ Sports, White responded: “We live in a world right now where you can’t believe anything that you read. … Who else would be running the Mayweather-McGregor deal than me?”

White added: “What does WME know about making big fights? … Trust me, I’m running the Mayweather-McGregor deal.”

In May, White said during the TNT NBA postgame show (h/t MMAFighting.com) that he had completed McGregor’s side of the deal and was set to start working with Mayweather on his side.

Mayweather has yet to fully commit to boxing the UFC Lightweight champion, but he has acknowledged that a bout with McGregor is the best possible option for him, per ESPN.com’s Nick Parkinson:

“The only fight that makes sense to me is the McGregor fight. I’ve accomplished everything I want to accomplish [against other boxers]. Conor McGregor is professional and so am I. He’s a stand-up fighter, and I’m a stand-up fighter. He kicks ass in the Octagon, and I kick ass in the boxing ring. The fans demand that fight and you have to give the fans what they want to see.”

According to Pugmire, those involved in the Mayweather-McGregor talks are attempting to get a deal done in time for the fight to occur by “early fall.”

The fight would be a mismatch on paper since Mayweather is 49-0 as a boxer, while McGregor has never had a professional boxing match.

Even so, the star power and charisma of both fighters are enough to anchor what could be a record-breaking event in terms of pay-per-view buys.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

10 Sports Stars Who Fell Flat In MMA

Many sports stars and athletes have tried their hands at mixed martial arts with varying degrees of success. For every Brock Lesnar, there’s 15 other crossover athletes who did not have such a smooth transition into the world’s most violent and dangerous sport. We here at LowKick MMA have compiled a solid list of 10 crossover […]

The post 10 Sports Stars Who Fell Flat In MMA appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Many sports stars and athletes have tried their hands at mixed martial arts with varying degrees of success.

For every Brock Lesnar, there’s 15 other crossover athletes who did not have such a smooth transition into the world’s most violent and dangerous sport.

We here at LowKick MMA have compiled a solid list of 10 crossover sports stars who just couldn’t make it in mixed martial arts.

10. Jose Canseco

Jose Canseco had a long and storied career in baseball before trying his hand at mixed martial arts. The Cuban-American was a six time all-star and won two World Series championships with the Oakland Athletics in 1989 and New York Yankees in 2000 before a steroid scandal in 2005 tarnished his reputation as a professional athlete.

Four years after the steroid scandal, Canseco attempted a career in MMA. The former baseball star took on Korean giant Choi Hong-man at DREAM 9 back in 2009. It was the perfect freak-show fight for its’ Japanese audience, which was hosting DREAM’s Hulk Grand Prix.

Canseco, while a sturdy 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, was dwarfed by Choi, who weighed in at 320 pounds while standing at a massive 7-foot-2. Canseco tried to stay light on his feet, at times running from Choi to reset at the center of the ring, but the big man eventually caught up to him, forcing Canseco to tap to strikes at just 1:17 minutes into the first round.

“That’s a big man,” Canseco said of Choi at the time. “I ran into one of his left jabs and that almost knocked me out. You have no idea how scary it was facing a man that big.”

Canseco would never fight in mixed martial arts ever again, and if his performance against Choi is any indication, he probably never will again. However, he did participate in a celebrity boxing match with former child star Danny Bonaduce in a match that went to a draw.

But, with 462 home runs to his name and 17 seasons in the MLB, Canseco will be remembered as a baseball player rather than a fighter.

The post 10 Sports Stars Who Fell Flat In MMA appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Dana White Implies Negotiations With Mayweather Are Going Well

When it was announced that UFC President Dana White and lightweight champion Conor McGregor had come to terms on a deal that would allow the brash Irishman to face Floyd Mayweather in a boxing fight, many saw it as a major step in making the fight a reality. Others, however, saw it as quite less […]

The post Dana White Implies Negotiations With Mayweather Are Going Well appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

When it was announced that UFC President Dana White and lightweight champion Conor McGregor had come to terms on a deal that would allow the brash Irishman to face Floyd Mayweather in a boxing fight, many saw it as a major step in making the fight a reality. Others, however, saw it as quite less given the notorious difficulty that typically comes with negotiating with the undefeated Mayweather.

Perhaps that isn’t the case though, as White, who recently spoke on the topic, implied that negotiations between the two sides are going well:

“I’m very bullish on this fight,” White said (Via MMAFighting.com). “I think it happens. These guys are gonna have to come up with something way out of left field for this fight not to happen.”

“We’re ready to go,” White said. “And I think what we’re looking at in the deal is as fair as fair can be. You’ve gotta understand, Floyd and [Al] Haymon and that group are used to dealing with the scummiest human beings on the planet Earth. I think it’s a little refreshing working with us. And I’m not just being arrogant. They’ve said that to us. I can see it getting done.” 

Despite this positive sign from the UFC boss, the fight may still be far from a done deal, as White said that he has yet to talk about a potential split between both sides with Team Mayweather. White, however, did say that he feels as if a ’50-50 (split) is pretty fair’:

“We haven’t even got there yet,” White said. “We haven’t even talked percentages yet. … Floyd can think whatever, but the machine that the UFC has and Conor McGregor alone is a machine by himself. I think that 50-50 is pretty fair.”

“I think this thing does, conservatively, between 2-1/2 and 4 million buys,” White said. “Other people think more. … And this thing will kill it, globally. Conor McGregor and the UFC are huge in Brazil, huge in Australia, massive in the UK and other parts of Europe.”

Despite McGregor’s obvious star power, White may very well be in over his head here. To draw a comparison, Mayweather received a 60-40 split for his record setting 2015 bout with fellow boxing star Manny Pacquiao. The fight turned out to be the biggest fight in pay-per-view history, garnering 4.6 million buys. It’d be hard to imagine Mayweather accepting a 50-50 split with McGregor with those numbers in mind.

What do you make of White’s most recent comments?

The post Dana White Implies Negotiations With Mayweather Are Going Well appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Dana White Reacts To De La Hoya Blasting McGregor vs. Mayweather

Last week Oscar De La Hoya wrote a lengthy letter explaining why he is against the idea of allowing a superfight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor inside a boxing ring. De La Hoya feels that Mayweather’s highly-anticipated bout with Manny Pacquiao, which turned out to be a 12 round snooze […]

The post Dana White Reacts To De La Hoya Blasting McGregor vs. Mayweather appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Last week Oscar De La Hoya wrote a lengthy letter explaining why he is against the idea of allowing a superfight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor inside a boxing ring.

De La Hoya feels that Mayweather’s highly-anticipated bout with Manny Pacquiao, which turned out to be a 12 round snooze fest, dug boxing into a deep hole. He feels that a bout between McGregor and Mayweather would bury it even deeper.

McGregor vs. Mayweather is only one of two of the most highly-anticipated boxing fights of the year, as Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin is set to go down on September 16th – a fight De La Hoya himself is set to promote. The September date was originally the target date for the McGregor vs. Mayweather fight, per UFC President Dana White.

White took to Twitter earlier today (Wed. May 31, 2017) to comment on De La Hoya’s comments regarding McGregor vs. Mayweather, sharing a video that showed De La Hoya singing a different tune when the possibility of Conor McGregor fighting Canelo Alvarez was brought up (quotes via FOX Sports):

“To me, it will be a disrespect for boxing if a UFC fighter who has zero experience in boxing came and fought Floyd Mayweather,” De La Hoya said in the video posted by White on Twitter.

“Imagine Conor McGregor and Golden Boy [Promotions] coming together. The only fight that I would love to see and it’s the one that makes the most sense, that would be the most exciting, that would be a guaranteed knockout is against “Canelo” Alvarez,” De La Hoya said.

Although McGregor vs. Mayweather has been highly criticized by boxing purists, the anticipation for the event greatly outweighs the hate, and the bout is expected to be the biggest combat sporting event of all time. When two of the biggest cash cows in the history of fighting go head-to-head, a ton of cash is certain to be drawn towards “Money” and “The Notorious One’s” way.

The post Dana White Reacts To De La Hoya Blasting McGregor vs. Mayweather appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.