50 Cent entering boxing promotion, expected to sign Yuriorkis Gamboa

Rapper 50 Cent (second from right), a longtime friend of Floyd Mayweather, is launching a promotional outfit that's said to include Yuriorkis Gamboa (right). (AP)

NEW YORK -- Rapper 50 Cent is getting into the boxing promoting business.

The platinum selling artist, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, has founded TMT Promotions -- short for The Money Team -- which has been licensed in New York and, according to Nevada state athletic commissioner Keith Kizer, is in the process of applying for a license in Nevada.

In addition to working with longtime friend and pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather, industry sources say TMT Promotions is expected to sign former featherweight title holder Yuri Gamboa and super middleweight contender Andre Dirrell.

A call to Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe was not immediately returned.

Last April, Mayweather hinted during a conference call to promote his fight against Miguel Cotto that Jackson would be getting involved in boxing.

“I think he’s going to be involved on the promotion side,” Mayweather said. “We may even put him out there, let him fight on pay-per-view one time. So we don’t really know what the future holds, but he is getting involved with boxing.”

-- Chris Mannix