[FOH] George Zimmerman wants to box rapper DMX in celebrity bout, but no deal yet

[The Core DJ's]

(CNN) -- Let's get ready to ... mumble.

As in, what now, George Zimmerman?

Seems like the former neighborhood watchman has found yet another way to remain in the public limelight. This time, he'll be stepping into a boxing ring. Although no contract has been signed, a promoter is negotiating with rapper DMX to fight him, according to the promoter and a rep for DMX.

"DMX has promised to 'beat his ass,' but no contract or paperwork has been signed or agreed to yet," DMX spokesman Domenick Nati told CNN Wednesday.

Zimmerman said the celebrity boxing match was his idea. Boxing was his hobby, he told Radar Online last month, even prior to the "incident."The incident, of course, is the February 2012 encounter in which he shot dead an unarmed Trayvon Martin, 17. He stood trial for murder but was acquitted last year.

"Prior to the incident, I was actually going to the gym for weight loss and doing boxing-type training for weight loss," he told Radar.

"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."

Damon is Damon Feldman, owner of Celebrity Boxing and a self-described opportunist whose claim to fame is putting together bizarre matchups. Think Tonya Harding, Michael Lohan. He said last week that he was accepting offers for someone to step into the ring for a three-round, pay-per-view fight with Zimmerman.

"The news has been out for an hour and my e-mail is overloaded with 8,000 people wanting to fight George," Feldman told CNN on Thursday. Early Wednesday morning, he said he'd picked the contender. Out of more than 15,000 e-mailed requests, he's going with DMX.

"The match will be one of the Biggest Celebrity Boxing matches of all time," his news release said (uppercase emphasis his).

But in order to find out where and when it will take place, we'll have to wait until next week. Feldman said Wednesday he was shooting for March 15.

DMX, as we know is a rapper, and braggadocio is his calling card.

He's out for blood, he told TMZ. Not only will he break every rule in boxing, he said, he'll "beat the living (expletive)" out of Zimmerman.

Ian Karmel, a writer for "Chelsea Lately," has a better idea.

"They should send Floyd Mayweather to the ring and tell George Zimmerman it's DMX," he tweeted. "He won't know the difference."

Not everyone welcomes the chance to see Zimmerman taking punches. Rev. Al Sharpton told a Los Angeles group Wednesday that he was concerned "about the precedent that it sets."

"We must be very careful not to glorify or in any way sidestep the implications of making someone whose only claim to fame was killing an unarmed young man named Trayvon Martin into a cultural celebrity or hero," Sharpton said.

A petition has been launched on Change.org calling for the planned boxing event to be canceled. "This is a blatant show of disrespect and nothing positive or righteous would come from such a stunt," it reads.