The much-hyped Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight has been scheduled for Aug. 26 in Las Vegas, according to two people familiar with the negotiations.
The two people spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition on anonymity because the date had yet to be released publicly.
Mayweather is the favorite with an undefeated (49-0) record, but he has been retired since September 2015. McGregor, a two-division UFC champ, applied for his boxing license in Nevada recently and would have to adjust to a boxing-only fight.
The hype machine is going strong for this fight. It has been talked about for several months, even before it was confirmed to be happening. That, some in boxing say, is good for the sport.
"Without a doubt boxing is surging," Stephen Espinoza, executive vice president for Showtime Sports, told the Associated Press recently. "We see that in our ratings and in our digital traffic. What has become clear to those in the boxing industry is that in order to attract attention you've got to have signature, high-profile events."
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James, this gonna be a travesty, right? McGregor's never had a pro boxing match, and to my amateur eye, the striking he does in MMA is unsuited to the ring: "All-power" fighters seem to take wider stances than boxers and throw looping punches at longer ranges because they are wary of kicks and leg takedowns. Also, he'll have a variety of trained responses to "unlearn" for the ring: no elbow strikes, no spinning backfists, no knees in the clinch. I think he'll be hesitating and second-guessing himself all night.
On the plus side, McGregor's much stronger and can do a lot of balance/agility things that Mayweather can't, but when you're playing the other guy's game, those things don't seem to balance the scales.
For the rematch, they should fight in the Octagon under MMA rules...