Less than one week remains until Conor McGregor makes his professional boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a bout many fans of the cross-code meeting have dubbed the “Fight of the Century.”
If nothing else, the Saturday, August 26 fixture looks set to break new ground in revenue and become the most lucrative fight in boxing history. The Independent’s Luke Brown reported the prize purse will be “worth around $390 million (£300 million),” while total revenue is expected to reach $500 million.
That would beat the $410 million that the Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao bout in 2015 brought in, per the Mirror‘s Sean McPolin.
Bookmakers opened with McGregor as a major underdog to beat 49-0 Mayweather in his boxing bow, but MMA reporter Chamatkar Sandhu showed how the Irishman is now more favoured than ever:
Read on for a roundup of the latest winner stakes for McGregor‘s meeting with “Money” Mayweather, complete with a breakdown of the best odds available, courtesy of OddsShark and Oddschecker.com.
Fight Odds
Floyd Mayweather Jr: 1-4
Draw: 33-1
Conor McGregor: 3-1
Fight to go the distance: Yes (+200, bet $100 to win $200), No (-275)
Odds Preview
Since it was announced that UFC lightweight champion McGregor had sealed his lucrative boxing date opposite Mayweather, pugilists have posed that the transition from MMA would be too great for him to have any chance at an upset.
But as the press tour advanced and McGregor showed glimpses of his promise, namely after releasing footage showing him appear to knock down former two-time world champion Paulie Malignaggi in sparring, his odds have fallen.
And unlike Malignaggi, Mayweather has been retired for almost two years, and turned 40 since he last laced up his gloves in a professional fixture, beating Andre Berto by unanimous decision in September 2015.
Granted, Money stays match-ready almost year-round, but it’s also significant both fighters have had only two months or so of preparation, and MMA reporter Ariel Helwani noted how quickly the date has come around:
It seems unlikely Mayweather—who has gone the distance in his last seven fights and last scored a knockout in 2011—will finish the fight if it does end early, but his 3-1 odds of doing so could hold some value.
McGregor, 29, is worth more in that regard, though, and appears the more probable fighter to score a knockout considering he’s finished opponents in seven of his nine UFC victories. The Irishman is priced at 8-1 to knock out Mayweather.
Money is poised to encounter a foe the likes of which he’s never experienced before, and MMA commentator Jon Anik recently discussed with OddsShark whether that will work in favour of the underdog:
If McGregor is to pull off the upset, it seems an early barrage may be his best method of doing so, as Mayweather is too prone to seeing off opponents with relative ease entering the latter stages of his fights.
Either fighter to win between rounds one and four is listed at 3-1, while The Notorious is a tempting 5-1 to finish matters in the first six rounds, covering a lot of bases for a fighter entering new ground.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com