Floyd Mayweather lent his support as officials broke ground on a 20,000-seater arena to be built along the Las Vegas Strip.
The boxing legend arrived at Thursday’s ceremony stood on top of a yellow tractor and helped executives shovel dirt at the site while confetti rained down from above.
Expected to boost the city’s chances of attracting professional sports teams, it is hoped the arena will also increase demand for large-scale concerts and events in Sin City.
‘They’ve got shovels in the ground,’ Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak said about the MGM-AEG project.
AEG officials said the arena’s design is tailored to the Las Vegas market and will feature a nightclub and an especially wide range of seating options, including ultra-luxury VIP boxes.
The project is a collaboration between casino company MGM Resorts International and sports and entertainment giant AEG.
The arena, which will cost over ?200million, will be near the New York-New York and Monte Carlo casinos.
The privately funded project is the furthest along of several arenas proposed for Las Vegas in recent years. Mayor Carolyn Goodman has championed a 20,000-seat arena in the revitalized downtown area that would be financed with a combination of private funds and city-issued bonds.
While no professional teams have inked a deal to call the arena home, the new site will ‘dramatically increase the allure’ of Las Vegas among sports franchises, said MGM CEO Jim Murren.
