50 Cent was granted a boxing promoters license by the Nevada State Athletic Commission earlier this week, having applied on behalf of his new SMS Promotions venture. The news comes two weeks after the rapper’s public falling out with former business partner and WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather on Twitter. The pair was well known for their antics as “The Money Team,” but 50 announced that he was launching his own promotion group after splitting from TMT.
The commission voted unanimously to approve the license on November 15. 50 Cent, aka Curtis Jackson, has already begun promoting for SMS’s first bout, backing Yuriorkis Gamboa versus Miguel Beltran in their December 8 fight. That fight will serve as an undercard to the fourth fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Marquez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. During their spat on Twitter, 50 Cent accused Mayweather of avoiding a fight with Pacquiao, a match boxing enthusiasts have sought after for years.
“I can’t hang out with Floyd no more,I’m tired of running from manny pacquiao #smsAudio,” 50 tweeted. “GAMBOA WANTS TO FIGHT FLOYD. I will put up a extra 20 million for the winner. He don’t like it that Floyd pulled out. #SMSAUDIO,” he added.
The Nevada license isn’t 50’s first, as he was licensed in New York earlier in the year. SMS Promotions also acquired featherweight titlist Billy Dib and super middleweight Andre Dirrell. According to the papers Jackson filed with the commission, he has already invested $2 million in SMS.
