Conor McGregor is the clear underdog for his fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, August 26.
The prop bets favour Mayweather winning by a knockout or stoppage.
As for the undercard, one of the highlights will be Nathan Cleverly defending his WBA light-heavyweight title against Badou Jack. Gervonta Davis will fight Francisco Fonseca in another key bout on the undercard.
Shawn Porter and Thomas Dulorme also meet, while female fighter Savannah Marshall will also feature.
Here is the full undercard list, per the Daily Telegraph:
- Gervonta Davis vs. Francisco Fonseca
- Nathan Cleverly vs. Badou Jack
- Andrew Tabiti vs. Steve Cunningham
- Shawn Porter vs. Thomas Dulorme
- Juan Heraldez vs. Jose Miguel Borrego
- Kevin Newman vs. Mark Anthony Hernandez
- Savannah Marshall vs. Amy Coleman
Before some predictions and a look at the odds, here is the pay-per-view information:
Date: Saturday, August 26
Broadcast Start Time: 9 p.m. ET (U.S.)/2 a.m Sunday BST (UK).
PPV: ShowtimePPV.com (U.S.). Sky Sports Box Office (UK).
The latest odds at the time of writing have Mayweather backed at -400 (bet $400 to win $100) to win, per Joe Osborne of OddsShark. Meanwhile, the same source has McGregor’s best odds at +300 (bet $100 to win $300).
Justin Hartling of OddsShark also broke down the prop bets, the best of which involves Mayweather winning by knockout, TKO or disqualification at a short -150.
Such strong odds in favour of an outcome of this type are a reflection of the feeling Mayweather will make quick work of McGregor. It’s a reasonable bet since Mayweather is the highly decorated boxer with the experience and skill to overwhelm a novice between the ropes like McGregor, no matter how determined the latter is.
One of the more intriguing prop bets has Mayweather winning by majority decision, valued at +2000. Naturally, the 40-year-old has better odds to win by a unanimous decision at +300.
The highlight of the undercard will be Jack moving up a weight class to take on Cleverly. Jack has already impressed by battling to a draw with James DeGale.
The former super-middleweight champ is a fighter on the rise, but Cleverly has the greater motivation in his first title defence. Expect the Welshman to see off Mayweather’s prospect by decision.
Davis is expected to overwhelm Fonseca. Per MailOnline’s Anthony Hay, Davis has 17 knockouts to his credit from 18 pro fights and is being “tipped to fill the gap left by Mayweather when he hangs up his gloves.”
Similarly, Porter boasts the punching power to take down Dulorme without the fight going the distance. Porter has been priming himself for a title shot against Keith Thurman since stopping Andre Berto in April, per ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael.
Expect the welterweight contender to impress in Las Vegas. A win for Porter will leave him to set his sights on the title, per Metro‘s Phil Haigh: “Porter has publicly called out fellow former welterweight champ Danny Garcia and victory over Dulorme could just get him what he wants.”
Also looking to impress is Marshall, whom Mayweather opted to promote back in May. It’s a smart decision since Marshall is a two-time Olympic champion.
The 26-year-old middleweight will get off to a winning start on her pro debut.
If the oddsmakers are to be believed, the bouts on the undercard may well turn out to be more intriguing than the main event, with Mayweather still fancied to dominate McGregor without too much fuss.
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