WITH the world watching, all ears will be listening into what music both Floyd Mayweather Jr and Conor McGregor enter Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena to.
With the hype and pre-fight slagging-off at unprecedented levels, neither will want to be outdone on the tune to welcome them to the ring.
If as expected Mayweather walks out to Phil Collins‘ ‘In The Air Tonight’, he will join a list of boxers who have been associated with the 1981 hit.
Here’s all you need to know about the song’s history in boxing.
Why is Floyd Mayweather using Phil Collins In The Air Tonight as his ring music?
Undefeated Mayweather entered the raucous weigh-in on Thursday to the sounds of ‘In The Air Tonight’ and is expected to use it again for the main event later tonight, possibly in homage to the numerous occasions it has been used previously.
Who thought the 40-year-old was such a big fan of the former Genesis front man?
With McGregor’s hordes of fans outnumbering those of Mayweather, it was drowned out to boos and the same is likely to happen in the T-Mobile Arena in the early hours of Sunday.
When else was it used in boxing?
Underdog Riddick Bowe used the early eighties classic as his walkout music when he took the WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight titles from legend Evander Holyfield in 1992.
The song was again used to produce an upset in 2005 when Bernard Hopkins suffered his first defeat in 12 years to Jermain Taylor for the World Middleweight title.
However the song has not always been associated with victory, as showcased by Brit Audley Harrison.
Harrison strutted into the ring to face David Haye in Manchester in 2010 to ‘In The Air Tonight’ but even Phil Collins couldn’t save him as the Hayemaker knocked him out in the third round.
However the sports most famous association with the song did not come as a result of a fight, but a Hollywood blockbuster.
Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson famously showed off his singing abilities with a rendition of Collins’ track in the 2009 film The Hangover.
What is Conor McGregor’s entrance song?
McGregor usually walks down to the ring to The Foggy Dew, an Irish folk song.
Usually draped in the Irish flag as he enters, the war ballad describes the Easter Rising in April 1916.
McGregor walks down to the the Sinead O’Connor version which is on the 1995 Chieftain’s album The Long Black Veil.
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