50 Cent Debuts as Promoter with Gamboa vs. Farenas Fight on Dec. 8

Popular rapper 50 Cent is officially staging his first promotional venture under his newly-licensed SMS Promotions in collaboration with Bob Arum's Top Rank Promotions.

SMS' first promotional fight will be between 30-year-old unbeaten Cuban fighter Yuriorkis Gamboa (21-0, 16 knockouts) and 24-year old Michael Farenas (34-3-4, 26 KOs), who is fighting under Top Rank.

50 Cent has just received his license from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) as boxing promoter under SMS Promotions, the company he organized after his recent falling out with friend Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

Gamboa and Farenas will see action on the undercard of the fourth fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez on December 8 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Gamboa is one of the few fighters 50 Cent has acquired under his new promotional outfit which include super middleweight contender Andre Dirrell, Australian IBF featherweight titlist Billy Dib and featherweight contender Celestino Caballero.

The undercard for the upcoming fourth fight between Pacquiao and Marquez also includes Miguel Vasquez vs. Mercito Gesta and unbeaten featherweights Javier Fortuna and Patrick Hyland.

"It's going to be a great night for the Filipino boxing fans, not only with Pacquiao, but now, with Gesta and Farenas," said Arum.

"A week later, we have Nonito Donaire. So they're becoming one of the most important countries for boxing in the entire world," added the Top Rank promoter.

50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, originally planned to engage in boxing promotion with his friend Floyd Mayweather, Jr. using TMT (The Money Team) as the name of their planned promotions company.

However, they had a falling out after Mayweather reportedly failed to give his share in the proposed partnership.

While Mayweather was serving his term in prison for domestic-violence charges, Jackson applied for a license from NSAC under TMT, but when Mayweather was released after serving two months, he did not show any more interest in the partnership.

Jackson then decided to go on his own and used SMS as his promotional business name. The letters "SMS" are reported to represent Jackson's audio headphones line. Read more. 

50 Cent was previously granted a license to promote boxing in New York by the New York State Athletic Commission.