stars had the notoriety, although at no point in history could any fight generate the kind of interest this one will, because of the change in media and the promotional skills of McGregor.

Over the years there were many wrestler vs. boxer matches, some under mixed rules, and a few under boxing rules. None ever garnered a smidgen of interest this already has.

In the early 1920s, there were negotiations to pit Ed "Strangler" Lewis, one of the two biggest pro wrestling stars of that era, against Jack Dempsey, “The Manassa Mauler,” the heavyweight boxing champion. At that time, there was no bigger sports star than the heavyweight boxing champion, and while wrestling was already predetermined, it received extensive newspaper coverage and The Strangler vs. The Mauler looked like ahuge promotion.

In the end, the fight never happened since Lewis wouldn't dare do a boxing match with Dempsey, and Dempsey, even though he said otherwise, knew well enough that in a mixed rules match, he'd stand little chance. The interest at the time was for a mixed rules match, and economically, it was dangerous to Dempsey and boxing. There wasn't enough of a money difference between what Dempsey could make boxing to have it make any sense for him.

Over the years, there were numerous boxer vs. wrestler matches, although most were in pro wrestling, and the outcomes were predetermined, as numerous boxing champions from Joe Louis to "Jersey" Joe Walcott to Leon Spinks took to pro wrestling after their boxing careers were over. Joe Frazier even did a