UFC superstar Conor McGregor has submitted a formal application to the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) for a boxing licence, having earlier today claimed he has signed his side of a deal to fight Floyd Mayweather.
McGregor, the current UFC lightweight champion, already has a professional boxing licence in California, but this recent application to Nevada is another step toward a crossover fight with Mayweather, which would almost certainly take place in Las Vegas.
NSAC Executive Director Bob Bennett has previously told Boxing News that he would give a Mayweather-McGregor boxing match the green light for Vegas, and today he confirmed that McGregor made his licence application.
“Conor McGregor has submitted an application to the Nevada State Athletic Commission for a boxing licence,” he told BN.
“We are currently awaiting additional documents from him in support of his application.”
Those additional documents are predominantly medical ones, including a physical examination report and MRI and MRA scans. Should Mayweather and McGregor then agree to a fight, they would both need to pass further physical examination.
Let’s go get some boxing ones now son. pic.twitter.com/KwBkFriTto
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) May 18, 2017
Provided the NSAC receive the relevant paperwork, McGregor will be granted a Nevada State boxing licence, bringing him one step closer to fighting Floyd.
Though it would be pitting a boxing debutant against one of the greatest boxers of his generation, Bennett previously outlined that McGregor’s extensive UFC and mixed martial arts background is taken into account with regards to sanctioning the fight.
“One of the critical things you have to take into account; Conor’s a phenomenal athlete,” he said.
“When you go back, he took up kickboxing at the age of 12. As a youth he became an All-Ireland boxing champion. He goes to the UFC, of course he had several [MMA] fights before that, and while he’s with the UFC he’s 21-3 with 17 of those wins coming via knockout or TKO.
“He’s a stand-up fighter, he’s a southpaw, he hits like a tonne of bricks, he’s got a great jaw, he’s 5’ 9’’ and he’s got a reach of 74 inches. If you take a look at his wins in the UFC, they’re predominantly from striking [punching] and if you take a look at the fact he was able to move from 145[lbs] to 155 to 170, he’s displayed some awesome unarmed combat skills.
“He’s proven that he can fight as a stand-up fighter. I’ve seen some tape of him boxing, I’m sure I’ll get an updated version of his skill-set as a fighter. I certainly think he’s worthy of being approved to fight Floyd Mayweather. His UFC background is critical in approving this fight.”
The news that McGregor has applied for a licence confirms that his side of the deal is all squared up, but Mayweather has refused to respond to these recent developments until after the weekend, when his protege Gervonta Davis defends his IBF super-featherweight title against Liam Walsh in London.
As it stands, Floyd’s side of the deal is not signed but UFC president Dana White has said that he will work with Mayweather’s team to come to an agreement, now that Conor has officially put pen to paper.
