It’s hard to drown out the NFL, yet the impending encounter between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor will do just that beginning Friday and on through the weekend.
The almost ridiculous trash talk in the build to the fight that features eye-popping financial numbers will hit its peak on Friday, when the two legends of their respective sports meet at the weigh-in before disappearing until it is time to dance.
Based on some of the crazy moments leading to this point already, feel free to file the weigh-in under the can’t-miss affair umbrella. Here is a look at the info surrounding Friday and the pay-per-view itself.
Mayweather vs. McGregor Viewing Info
Date: Saturday, Aug. 26
Start Time: 9 p.m. ET (main card)
Watch: pay-per-view ($99.95)
Mayweather-McGregor Fight Card Odds
Floyd Mayweather (-450) vs. Conor McGregor (+325; bet $100 to win $325), super welterweight
Badou Jack (-355) Nathan Cleverly (+290), light heavyweight
Andrew Tabiti (-310) vs. Steve Cunningham (+260), cruiserweight
Gervonta Davis (-3500) Francisco Fonseca (+1300), junior lightweight
Weigh-In Information
T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas plays host to what is likely going to be a crazy time as McGregor and Mayweather step on scales before descending into trash talk. The event starts at 4:30 p.m. ET, though fans will likely want to at least keep an eye on social media before then.
Showtime will have the official online live stream, where one of the main talking points will be, of course, money.
Money, meaning Money’s money. The man known for gigantic guaranteed payouts regardless of opponent has another on his hands here, with Yahoo Sports writer Kevin Iole reporting Mayweather’s big payout will be revealed to the public during the broadcast:
Even if the number is a bit off the mark, it’ll be interesting to hear how both men are splitting the pot. This isn’t exactly an event where one fighter like a Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao can take the much larger portion and call it a day.
No, McGregor is a gigantic draw on his own. And if we’re being honest, fans anticipating this spectacle have him to thank for it existing at all—his trash talk is a big part of the reason Mayweather came out of an apparent retirement.
Back in July, McGregor was in prime form the first time the two actually stepped in the squared circle, as captured by UFC Europe:
That isn’t to suggest Mayweather didn’t offer some hilarity of his own, which Sports Illustrated provided:
Mayweather at least has fallen back a bit more recently and seems intent on avoiding being sucked into a war of words. It’s a somewhat odd development from the man nicknamed Money, but something worth noting.
Here is his level-headed talk during a presser on Wednesday, courtesy of CBSSports.com’s Brian Campbell:
Meaning, fans shouldn’t really know what to expect at the weigh-in, other than both guys coming in at the required 154 pounds and likely making a scene of doing it. The unknowns range from whether we’ll still get humble Mayweather to a number of dollar signs thrown around by both parties.
What fans do know, at least, is how Las Vegas oddsmakers feel about the fight. The lines above predictably lean in Mayweather’s favor, though an air of unpredictably surrounding McGregor has things closer than they might end up having any right of being.
Then again, the closer-than-expected odds could be a way to garner more interest in this fight than it deserves. Both guys are great mouthpieces, but only one is a boxing legend sitting on a 49-0 record and only one is a guy with zero actual rounds of boxing that matters on his resume.
No matter how it turns out, Friday is bound to be a good time for fans invested in this megafight. A fight brought to life via trash talk and hype won’t have any problems captivating an audience for an hour and creating a tidal wave of buzz that will last until official introductions on Sunday night.
Odds via OddsShark.
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