Conor McGregor’s much-anticipated matchup against Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Saturday, August 26 is reportedly on course to “break all records” for bets on boxing in the United Kingdom.
According to Daniel Matthews of MailOnline, the value of stakes placed on the boxing bout will “easily reach” between £200 million and £300 million in high-street bookmaker bets.
Betfair spokesman Barry Orr talked up the fight’s potential to beat all records that came before and said:
“It’s absolutely mind-blowing. It seems to have captured the betting public’s imagination like we have never seen before. Not just in terms of boxing events but sporting events.
“Industry wide, it’s one of the biggest sporting events that’s going to be bet on for a long, long time. I think it’s going to break all records.”
Betfair took in a reported £8.9 million of bets for Mayweather’s last high-profile bout, against Manny Pacquiao in 2015. To put the magnitude of this fight into context, Betfair has already taken £20 million in stakes for McGregor vs. Mayweather.
Underdog McGregor has unsurprisingly accounted for more of the stakes placed, although the value has gradually lessened since markets opened, as shown by Odds Shark.
Most of the big-stake bets, meanwhile, continue to be placed on Mayweather, who is stepping out of retirement after almost two years out of the ring so he can attempt to seal his 50-0 record against a pro debutant.
Several key events, it’s noted by Matthews, have influenced punters’ opinions. It’s said more than £1.5 million worth of bets was placed in the hours after it was confirmed the fighters would wear eight-ounce gloves rather than the usual 10-ounce.
A sell-out press tour and endless back-and-forth barbs have also lent themselves well to the drama and spectacle, and ESPN’s David Payne illustrated how it’s The Notorious who appears to be winning that duel:
The Independent’s Luke Brown reported a potential prize purse of $390 million (£300 million) could see the fighters break new records, but the punters’ involvement means fans could have a hand making this the biggest fight ever, too.
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