George Zimmerman and DMX
George Zimmerman (L) has agreed to fight DMX in a celebrity boxing match.

George Zimmerman is set to fight rapper DMX in his upcoming celebrity boxing match.

The unconvicted killer of black teenager Trayvon Martin will step into the ring with the hip hop star in an epic showdown that will last three rounds.

Zimmerman said the fight, which will probably guarantee him another 15 minutes in the spotlight, was his idea.

Related

"Prior to the incident [Trayvon shooting] I was actually going to the gym for weight loss and doing boxing-type training for weight loss and a mutual friend put me in contact with Damon and provided me with an opportunity and motivation to get back in shape and continue with my weight loss goals and also be able to help a charity out, " he told Radar Online last month.

The 1 March bout, organised by former professional boxer Damon Feldman, will be aired online and on pay-per-view.

Zimmerman was not short of proposals when he offered one lucky person the opportunity to trade fists all in the name of charity.

Feldman says DMX was selected out of 15,000 applicants after the Where the Hood At hitmaker, whose real name is Earl Simmons, vowed to massacre Zimmerman in the ring if he got the chance.

The 43-year-old star said: "I am going to beat the living f**k out him ... I am breaking every rule in boxing to make sure I f**k him right up."

The Game said the Compton rapper offered to challenge Zimmerman.

"I will beat the f**k out of him," the hip hop star told TMZ. "I would not be boxing for me. I'd be boxing for the legacy of Trayvon Martin and for his family.

"I would box him to knock him out...I would definitely take pleasure in it. It's legal, and I want to show him you can solve your disputes without a weapon."

In February 2012, Zimmerman followed and confronted Martin as he was walking through a gated community after visiting a convenience store in Miami, Florida. He subsequently claimed he shot the teenager in self-defence after a fracas ensued between the two. His acquittal in July 2013 sparked nationwide protests.