Tag: Mayweather vs. McGregor Megafight

Ahead of their Aug. 26 fight, Conor McGregor used Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s tax situation as an opportunity to get a dig in on his opponent.

“That’s gotta sting,” McGregor said in an interview with TMZ Sports. “… He shoulda paid his taxes and stayed retired and kept my name out of his mouth” (Warning: Video contains NSFW language):

On Monday, ESPN.com’s Darren Rovell shared a report from Law360’s Bryan Koenig that stated Mayweather asked the federal government to wait before collecting the taxes he owes from 2015.

Rovell noted that failing to pay taxes on time generally results in a 0.5 percent penalty for every month the taxes are overdue. Mayweather would then owe the government 7.5 percent in addition to his overdue taxes, which Koenig didn’t identify.

In the petition they filed on Mayweather’s behalf, his representatives wrote the boxer has a “significant liquidity event scheduled in about 60 days” that will help him pay his outstanding tax bill, per Koenig, which is almost certainly Mayweather’s bout with McGregor.

BoxingScene.com’s Keith Idec reported Mayweather could make as much as $100 million for his fight purse, which wouldn’t take into account his share of the fight’s gate and pay-per-view revenues.

The Los Angeles Times‘ Lance Pugmire reported the pay-per-view fee for Mayweather vs. McGregor will be $99.95 for the high-definition broadcast and $89.95 for the standard broadcast.

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Those who want to watch the highly anticipated bout between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor will have to pay a good deal of money to do it.

According to Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times, it will cost $99.95 for a high-definition version of the Aug. 26 pay-per-view broadcast. Viewers can choose standard definition for $89.95.

The cost is the same as the PPV price for Mayweather’s fight against Manny Pacquiao in May 2015.

According to Darren Rovell of ESPN.com, the bout between Mayweather and Pacquiao brought in $455 million in PPV sales alone. He projected the Mayweather-McGregor match will bring in $475 million.

Former senior vice president of HBO PPV Tammy Ross last month guessed the PPV price tag, per Rovell.

“I think we thought that there wasn’t going to be anything like that fight again, but if there was, it would be this one,” Ross said. “That’s why I think they should put out the $100 price tag again and let Conor’s mouth do the talking.”

Mayweather and Pacquiao are considered two of the best boxers of their generation, and it took years for them to get in the ring together. McGregor has never competed in a professional boxing match, but he is one of the biggest stars in UFC, and the intrigue surrounding his crossover makes this a unique event.

Keith Idec of Boxing Scene reported in June that while neither competitor is allowed to discuss the purse, Mayweather is expected to take home over $100 million from the upcoming fight and McGregor should get about $75 million.

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Floyd Mayweather filed a petition July 5 asking the IRS for a reprieve from unpaid taxes from 2015 until after his fight with Conor McGregor in August.

“Although the taxpayer has substantial assets, those assets are restricted and primarily illiquid,” Mayweather’s petition stated, per the legal website Law360 (h/t ESPN.com’s Darren Rovell). “The taxpayer has a significant liquidity event scheduled in about 60 days from which he intends to pay the balance of the 2015 tax liability due and outstanding.”

Mayweather, 40, made $220 million alone from his 2015 fight against Manny Pacquiao. It is unclear how much he owes the IRS in taxes.

The petition asks the government to reduce Mayweather’s penalty on the unpaid taxes. Given a 15-month lapse since the 2015 tax due date, Mayweather would owe 7.5 percent in penalties on top of what he was already scheduled to pay, according to Rovell.

Mayweather is expected to bring home a nine-figure payday from his bout with McGregor, which is slated for Aug. 26 in Las Vegas. The fight will end a nearly two-year retirement. Mayweather has not boxed professionally since defeating Andre Berto via unanimous decision in September 2015, which moved him to 49-0 for his career.

Forbes estimated Mayweather’s net worth at $340 million in January.

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The schedule for the world press tour leading up to Floyd Mayweather Jr. versus Conor McGregor on Aug. 26 was officially released on Friday.

ESPN’s Brett Okamoto tweeted a listing of events:

The tour will go from July 11 through July 14 with stops in Los Angeles, Toronto, Brooklyn and London.

While there has been plenty of hoopla surrounding the upcoming superfight, the tour will mark the first time Mayweather and McGregor have come face to face publicly.

Both combatants are known for their physical dominance in their respective crafts, but they are also among the most brash and confident talkers in all of sports.

Mayweather and McGregor are experts at promoting their fights as well, which is precisely what they figure to do during a series of press conferences.

At 49-0, Mayweather is one of the greatest pound-for-pound boxers of all time, but he may have ring rust to contend with, having not fought since 2015.

Although McGregor is the current UFC lightweight champion, his lack of boxing experience figures to put him at a significant disadvantage.

Despite the fact that the fight appears to be a mismatch on paper, the excitement surrounding it is apparent, and both Mayweather and McGregor promise to drum up even more interest on the tour.

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