Italian mayors are still hoping that an Elon v. Zuck fight could boost their towns' profiles, despite the Meta CEO getting tired of Musk's shenanigans

• Elon v Zuck is looking less likely, but location proposals are still coming in, per Euronews.
• Musk said there was "some chance" it would happen at the Colosseum, but Italian officials denied this.
• The mayor of Pompeii is keen to host a bout, and Florence's mayor suggested "a clash of ideas" instead.

Plans for a fight between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg appear to be scuppered after the Meta CEO grew tired of the other billionaire's shenanigans.

But the mayors of Italian towns and cities are still vying to host a potential bout between the pair, Euronews reported.

Rome's Colosseum previously looked like a potential setting, after Musk tweeted there was "some chance" it would happen there. But then an official from Italy's culture ministry told The Telegraph they hadn't had contact from either party about this.

Musk then provoked Zuckerberg by claiming details had been agreed with Italy's prime minister and minister of culture, with the contest to happen in "an epic location."

"If Elon ever gets serious about a real date and official event, he knows how to reach me," Zuckerberg responded. "Otherwise, time to move on. I'm going to focus on competing with people who take the sport seriously."

Despite this, there have been at least seven proposals from other Italian cities, including Pompeii and Verona, to host a potential fight, according to Euronews.

"Pompeii is the best site to host the worldwide challenge between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg," the city's mayor, Carime Lo Sapio, told Euronews.

"From the institutional contacts I've had, I think the choice will fall on Pompeii," he added. "I am an optimist."

The president of the southern Italian region of Calabria also offered his territory. "It could be a nice opportunity, an alternative to the usual choices, to recall the thousands of years of history of the most ancient civilizations, to do charity, and to promote the territory," he said, per Euronews.

Other proposals include an amphitheatre on the outskirts of Rome, and a picturesque one in Taormina, Sicily — setting for season two of smash hit HBO series "The White Lotus — which overlooks the Mediterranean sea, according to Euronews.

The mayor of Florence previously said he was "ready to organise a clash of ideas and visions for the future in the Piazza della Signoria," and compared it to a painting contest between Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo in 1504, per The Telegraph.

Musk continues to provoke Zuckerberg, threatening to visit his house and beat him up, so a duel is looking less likely.

X and Meta did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.