UNITED STATES

Big-money Mayweather-McGregor bout set for Las Vegas

August 26, 2017

Undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather and mixed martial arts champion Conor McGregor come to blows in Las Vegas, Nevada, in a bout hailed as the "biggest fight ever."

Ahead of the fight they are trading jabs and insults on a promotional tour.

Britain’s Telegraph reports that the event is expected to generate more than half a billion dollars. It has every chance of breaking the pay per view record of 4.5 million buys, set when Mayweather met Manny Pacquiao in May 2015, according to the newspaper.

Mayweather is coming out of retirement for the fight – at 40 – with a boxing record of 49 wins and no losses. McGregor, a two-weight world champion with the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) has not boxed competitively since the age of 16, and he turns 29 shortly before the Nevada bout. The Telegraph reports that he has to get a boxing license in order to fight in Nevada.

The Nevada bout has became a major sporting fixture for oddsmakers. They made Mayweather an 11-1 favorite because the fight will take place in a boxing ring and be governed by boxing rules, with the weight set at 154 pounds. However, a significant number of bets backing a McGregor win suggest that many enthusiasts don’t see him as the underdog.

#22226 Published: June 29, 2017