FLOYD MAYWEATHER was in talks for an exhibition fight with either Salt Papi or King Kenny – but neither YouTuber could agree terms.
Mayweather, 45, announced he will make his UK boxing debut on February 25 at the O2 Arena.
Initially Liam Harrison, 37, was named as the opponent but the Muay Thai legend never officially signed and had to pull out amid a knee injury.
So Mayweather’s team scrambled to find a replacement and according to Happy Punch promotion, Salt Papi, 28, and Kenny, 25, were considered.
But the crossover boxing banner, who represent Salt Papi, revealed they “couldn’t agree to terms”.
Geordie Shore’s Aaron Chalmers, who has a 1-0 professional boxing record and left MMA at 5-2, was later announced as Mayweather’s opponent.
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It will be the boxing icon’s sixth exhibition since officially retiring in 2017 following victory over ex-UFC champion Conor McGregor, 34.
Mayweather’s last was in November, beating YouTuber Deji, 26, who is also the brother to KSI, 29, in six rounds in Dubai.
Chalmers negotiated the spectacle bout on his own and after a few agonising days of waiting, the shock fight was announced.
But he revealed it came after having to beat off competition from others trying to convince Mayweather to look elswhere.
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Chalmers told iD Boxing: “The first phone call was Thursday, I had the contract by Saturday.
“So it was a quick, quick turnaround, no messing around. Even at the last minute, people were trying to hijack it, ‘Ah, fight this YouTuber, fight that YouTuber.’
“But the man was a man of his word and went, ‘Nope, Aaron’s got the fight’.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
