Floyd Mayweather is taking his talents to virtual reality.
The five-division world champion has finalized a deal with fuboTV streaming service, FaceBank Group – and ONE Entertainment Group.
The group will manage the boxer’s digital likeness, Virtual Mayweather.
It was created to protect and exploit the brand name and likeness of Mayweather. However, the virtual version will be used for various multi-media opportunities in and content scenarios.
“My team has always been the past, present and future of sports and entertainment,” said Mayweather. “Now, together with FaceBank, fuboTV and ONE Entertainment, I am continuing that trend.”
One of the projects being developed is virtual boxing match-ups that face virtual Mayweather against boxing legends and icons.
Resembling short films, the real-time simulations will feature top-secret results. A modeling computer will make incremental relationships between performance, velocity, reaction speed, strategy, and stamina.
FaceBank is capturing photographic and filmed representations of his face and body to develop a computer-generated ‘digital likeness’. It will then be used for global and commercial applications.
The company expects to announce similar agreements with other athletes in the coming weeks.
The virtual boxing matches will be exclusive to the fuboTV live TV streaming platform and pay-per-view partners to be announced.
“Our joint venture with Floyd Mayweather and ONE Entertainment makes possible a few of the greatest fights of all time that never happened,” said fuboTV CEO David Gandler.
“That could have never happened…until now..”