Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor’s verbal battle is over for now and attention has turned to what is set to be the highest-earning fight of all time.
Mayweather vs McGregor
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Nevada, United States
Mayweather drew a record 4.6million pay-per-view purchases for his fight with Manny Pacquiao in 2015 and his battle with McGregor will almost certainly top that.
McGregor – the biggest name in UFC – has vowed to knockout undefeated boxer Mayweather, and boldly had a giant mural depicting his triumph drawn up across his training gym wall.
Mayweather, however, says he would “run the UFC” and scoffed at McGregor’s knockout claims, firing a warning about his “granite chine”.
MAYWEATHER vs MCGREGOR: THE FIGHT
Mayweather and McGregor will square off on the night of Saturday, August 26 at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, on the Las Vegas Strip.
In the US, the fight will be broadcast on Showtime pay-per-view and cost $89.95 for standard definition and $99.95 for high definition. In the UK, a broadcast deal is yet to be agreed.
Fight: Mayweather vs McGregor
Date: Saturday, August 26
Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Paradise
US TV: Showtime PPV
UK TV: TBC
DATE AND START TIME
The fight is scheduled for Saturday, August 26, though it will likely begin in the UK around 4am on Sunday, August 27. The 20,000-capacity T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas will host the fight.
LIVE COVERAGE
Showtime are in talks with both Sky Sports and ITV over the UK broadcast rights for the fight between Mayweather and McGregor.
Showtime’s HD package will cost viewers in the US $99.95.
WHAT ARE THE RULES?
The stage is set for McGregor’s first professional boxing fight, with the MMA fighter set to switch the Octagon for the ring and adopt boxing rules.
Both fighters will wear boxing gloves and the use of legs, which is common in UFC, is banned.
The bout will be 12 rounds of three minutes, should it go the distance.
WHAT THEY SAID
Speaking about their recent four-leg international media tour, McGregor said: “The tour became a verbal battle that people were scoring and I didn’t anticipate it being so back and forth.
“If we are going to score it then f*** it, let’s do that – I smoked him on all four rounds.
“LA was a 10-9, my suit went viral, Toronto was a wipeout 10-7 because he was dropped twice.
“I won New York and then here I smoked him again. For a 40-year-old man he has his childish ways and that’s amusing. This is a ruthless business and I am ruthless.”
WHO’S GOING TO WIN?
Unsurprisingly, given his vast advantage in terms of actual boxing experience, Mayweather is the heavy favourite. With dabblebet the American can be backed at 1/7 to beat McGregor, who comes in at 9/2.
Many boxers past and present have not given McGregor much of a chance. Mike Tyson, for example, says he believes the Irishman will be “killed” outside of the UFC octagon.
UFC president Dana White, however, has backed his star name to make it a contest. “You don’t know what’s going to happen when two guys start throwing punches, especially a guy like Conor McGregor,” he said.
BETTING ODDS (via 888Sport)
Floyd Mayweather to win: 1/10
Conor McGregor to win: 5/1
Draw: 33/1