Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. has extended his winning streak by fighting in the first-ever boxing match in the Metaverse. The recent Global Titans exhibition event in Dubai, UAE, on Nov. 13 featured a headlining bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. social media star Deji Olatunji, which has made digital history.
“Money” Mayweather is well known as the most successful boxer-businessman in sports history, so this unprecedented power move comes as no surprise.
Floyd Mayweather Fought In First-Ever Boxing Match In The Metaverse
Hosted by MetaVerseBooks, one of the first companies to build a fully functional entertainment platform in the Metaverse, the company streamed the fight, evolving the way the world consumes sports entertainment. The ticket price to “attend” or watch the event in MVB Worlds metaverse was $14.99, a fraction of the cost to travel to Dubai and watch in person.
Now that the fight was considered a considerable success in the Metaverse, the company will promote another Mayweather exhibition fight, reportedly announcing it in December, with the contest potentially being planned for February.
“We are delighted to be the first tech company to put on a world-class boxing match in the metaverse and make history with Floyd Mayweather,” said Delence A. Sheares Sr., CEO of MetaVerseBooks to Forbes. “MetaVerseBooks, our new, cutting edge metaverse system, featuring Unreal 5 engine operating on the web, was the next natural extension of my family’s continued quest to remain on the cutting edge of all digital technologies.”
Is Floyd Mayweather Still Boxing Professionally?
While many were wondering why Mayweather was continuing to fight, even though they were exhibitions against nontraditional boxers, Mayweather is pushing the sport to new futuristic heights. According to parent company Meta, the Metaverse is the next evolution in social connection and the successor to the mobile internet. MVB Worlds offers an expansive open metaverse world complete with shopping, concerts, communities, real estate, vehicles, cinemas, play-to-earn games, and more.
Now the possibilities for boxing, and sports in general, is immense as the race to shape the future of the way people consume content and interact socially is akin to the gold rush.
“The importance of this event showing in the Metaverse at this scale is hugely significant for fans, fighters, the boxing community and sports brands globally,” said Jess Monroe, Director Of Partnerships for Soga World to Forbes. The web3 firm developed the strategy around the boxing event and work to bring brands and other talents to the MetaVerseBooks environment. “This is the beginning of the future and how humans will soon interact regularly with sports stars, brands and events. A fan-driven, immersive experience.”
Floyd Mayweather Pioneering New Technology In Boxing
Now the possibilities are limitless.
“From a tech perspective, the next step will be for the boxers to actually fight within the Metaverse. NFT betting within that framework, filming in XR for instant replay at multiple angles, Bluetooth mouthguards measuring speed and force of punches. It’s very exciting to think of what is coming.”
Mayweather becoming the pioneer of this new technology in the boxing industry is not surprising. With an ambassador like himself not only fighting globally but also cementing his reach through the Metaverse, embracing the new intriguing possibilities with social media stars-turned-boxers is an evolution in how pugilism does business.
