Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg has decided to back out of the highly anticipated battle of the billionaires at Rome’s historic Colosseum, according to Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly known as Twitter). Musk took to Twitter to announce that Zuckerberg had “declined” the proposal to have the charity bout at the Colosseum and even refused to fight Musk in his practice ring. Musk sarcastically suggested that Zuckerberg used the excuse of being “traveling” to avoid the cage match.
In response, Zuckerberg accused Musk of not being serious about the fight and stated that it was time to move on. He expressed his frustration with Musk’s lack of commitment, mentioning how Musk had failed to confirm a date, claimed he needed surgery, and then suggested a practice round in Zuckerberg’s backyard instead. However, Zuckerberg left the door open for Musk, stating that if he ever became serious about setting a real date and organizing an official event, he knew how to reach him. Until then, Zuckerberg vowed to focus on competing with people who took the sport seriously.
Musk didn’t hold back and referred to Zuckerberg as a “chicken” in his response. Last week, Musk had teased the Colosseum as the location for the fight that he had challenged Zuckerberg to back in June. He claimed that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano were on board without mentioning their names. Musk also mentioned that the bout would have an “Ancient Rome theme.”
On Friday, Sangiuliano confirmed that he had discussed hosting the fight in Italy as a charity event with Musk. Both billionaires had agreed to stream the event live on their platforms, with the proceeds being donated to a veterans’ charity. However, they were unable to come to an agreement on the date. Just a few days before announcing the Colosseum location, Musk revealed that he might need back surgery before facing his fellow tech billionaire. Zuckerberg’s proposed date of August 26 reportedly went unconfirmed by Musk.
It’s worth mentioning that Zuckerberg recently obtained a blue belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu after training in the sport for over a year. He has hinted at wanting to fight a professional mixed martial arts fighter in the future, and UFC boss Dana White confirmed that Zuckerberg is serious about fighting in the UFC. In a recent text message exchange between Musk and Zuckerberg, Musk admitted that he hasn’t been practicing much, aside from sparring with tech personality Lex Fridman.
The battle between these tech titans has generated significant attention and excitement, but it seems that this clash will have to be put on hold for now. Whether or not the fight will ever take place remains uncertain.
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