Khabib Nurmagomedov Wants to Box Floyd Mayweather In Front of 100,000 Russian Fans
The Russian UFC champ is trying to pull a Conor McGregor and make BANK.
Khabib Nurmagomedov wants the home-field advantage if he gets in the ring with Floyd Mayweather.
The undefeated UFC star met with the Russian Boxing Federation to discuss the prospect of hosting what would be a lucrative crossover fight at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
“A meeting with the Secretary General of the Russian Boxing Federation Umar Kremlev was held today,” wrote in an Instagram post. “We discussed the fight with Mayweather.”
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“The Eagle” added that he and the RBF believe that the spectacle could draw an audience of 100,000 and set a broadcasting record.
“We want the fight to take place in Moscow at the legendary Luzhniki arena,” Nurmagomedov said. “They are sure that we will gather 100,000 spectators, and also set a world record for the sale of paid broadcasts.”
Mayweather, who secured an unprecedented 50-0 record after stopping Conor McGregor in their 2017 megabout, says he’s game to come out of retirement to fight the Dagestani wrestling specialist.
“Oh, we fighting,” Mayweather told TMZ recently. “We can make it happen.”
As Business Insider notes, Nurmagomedov vs. Mayweather is far from a done deal. The former refuses to set foot in Vegas because the Nevada State Athletic Commission is withholding his $2 million purse from UFC 229 due to his role in the post-fight fracas.
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“No Vegas,” Nurmagomedov wrote on Instagram.”They won’t pay my money.”
If it does indeed get made, Nurmagomedov’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, says he can drop “Money” with one punch.
Khabib Nurmagomedov's (@TeamKhabib) manager Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) addresses the Floyd Mayweather headlines. pic.twitter.com/y10wlCC25b
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) October 19, 2018
“I know it’s a different sport, but Khabib knocked Conor down and Floyd couldn’t,” Abdelaziz said in the above interview with ESPN’s Brent Okamato.
“And all it’s going to take is one punch, and I think Khabib can drop Floyd.”
McGregor would likely disagree with Abdelaziz. In a round-by-round analysis of his loss to Nurmagomedov, the Irishman conceded that he got caught with the game-changing punch because he didn’t train to defend against strikes.
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“Round 2 he is running away around the cage before being blessed with a right hand that changed the course of the round, and the fight,” McGregor wrote. “It was a nice shot.”
“If I stay switched on and give his stand up even a little more respect, that right hand never gets close and we are talking completely different now. I gave his upright fighting no respect in preparation.”
It’s worth mentioning that Nurmagomedov cracking a striker in a cage fight is very different from landing on Mayweather, who is widely regarded as one of the best defensive boxers of all time.
Even so, Mayweather appears to be more interested in fighting Nurmagomedov than pursuing a rematch with Manny Pacquiao.
Business Insider has further details:
Mayweather defeated Pacquiao in an uneventful decision win in 2015, but Pacquiao’s knockout victory over Lucas Matthysse in July pushed him to the forefront of the fight game.
The two fighters teased a December rematch on social media in September, but nothing has materialized since.
Instead, the Filipino boxing legend will defend his welterweight world title against Adrien Broner.
ESPN has further details:
Pacquiao made the announcement Thursday during an appearance at a news conference in Manila for the non-profit International Sports Promotion Society, which named him an ambassador.
Pacquiao said he would be fighting Broner next, either on Jan. 12 or Jan. 19. The fight, which Pacquiao termed “90 percent” done, would likely take place in Las Vegas.
However, a source with knowledge of the deal told ESPN the fight would be Jan. 19, not Jan. 12, though a fight likely wouldn’t be formalized until he settled his tax issues with the U.S. government.
Mayweather vs. Nurmagomedov or Pacquiao vs. Broner—which fight do you want to see more?
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