Floyd Mayweather Jr believes a superfight between him and UFC star Conor McGregor will happen sooner rather than later.
Mayweather told ESPN's Stephen A Smith the fighters are on the verge of an agreement.
"We're getting very, very close," the 39-year-old Mayweather told Smith.
While Mayweather is optimistic, he says nothing is guaranteed until contracts are signed. No timetable was given for the prospective boxing match.
"Real people are having real discussions," Nevada State Athletic Commission chairman Anthony Marnell told ESPN on Tuesday, "I'm also telling you my opinion as the NSAC chairman that a lot of things need to get done in order to see something like this come together because there are so many parties that want to get their hands on the pot.
"Maybe it will get figured out, but it's going to be hard when everyone is declaring they want $US100 million ($A131 million)."
Mayweather, a former five-division boxing champion who retired undefeated at 49-0 in 2015, said in January he believed the fight could happen after McGregor said he was determined to fight him.
The 28-year-old McGregor, the reigning UFC Lightweight Champion, obtained his California boxing licence in December.
UFC president Dana White offered McGregor and Mayweather a sum of $25 million each in January for a fight. Mayweather scoffed at the offer, saying White was "an (expletive) comedian."
McGregor last competed at UFC 205 last November when he beat Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title to become the first two-division champion in UFC history.
He also held the featherweight title after knocking out Jose Aldo at UFC 200 last July. McGregor was stripped of the featherweight belt in November to focus on the lightweight division.
McGregor, 21-3 in MMA competition, is not scheduled to compete in a UFC event until May to avoid putting unnecessary stress on partner Dee Devlin, who is pregnant with the couple's first child.
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