Showtime Sports Network executive Stephen Espinoza told Fighthype last Thursday that the fight between undefeated champion Floyd Mayweather and Ultimate Fighting Championship star Conor McGregor could be taking place by this fall if the agreement is reached between the two sides. Mayweather's side of the negotiations with McGregor's camp still has not been finalized yet.
An endeavor to achieve a deal effectively depends on the motivation of two sides.
"If [negotiations with Mayweather's camp drag] on, then you're probably looking at late this year.
If it really drags on, then you're looking at early next year," Espinoza said in an interview with FightHype, according to Fox Business. "But if people are as motivated as they seem to be...we could be seeing it early fall. That's the goal, that's what we've heard from Floyd."
As of May 18, 2017, there was an official confirmation from UFC president Dana White that the popular Irish mixed martial artist has signed a deal to fight Mayweather. Financial terms of the agreement from McGregor's side have not been shared.
In August 2016, McGregor has combated in UFC 202 that paid him $3 million, with the addition of pay per view revenue and sponsorship money for the welterweight rematch against Nate Diaz.
Mayweather obtained compensation of $200 million for the match against Manny Pacquiao in 2015, thanks to a deal that guaranteed a 60-40 PPV revenue split in favor of Mayweather.
Could this match surpass 2015 Mayweather-Pacquiao fight in terms of ticket sales?
Perhaps considered one of the most talked about fights in sporting event history in the eyes of the public, fans may be willing to purchase expensive tickets to watch the Mayweather-Mcgregor fight.
Could ticket sales for this match reach at the highest point after the deal between two parties becomes agreeable?
The Mayweather-Pacquiao fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas has reportedly generated ticket sales valued at $72.2 million, making it the highest grossing boxing match in history. As ticket prices ranged from $1,500 to $7,500, the average price of tickets sold in its sporting event reached an all-time high of $4,451.
There are those who believes that, if the fight will be held at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the average ticket price for the Mayweather-McGregor match would have exceeded the average price of Mayweather-Pacquiao. Some think otherwise.
"This will certainly be a big ticket due to the names and the attention it will get, but it, by no means, is the biggest of tickets,"Patrick Ryan, the co-founder of Eventellect, a ticket brokerage, and management firm, told ESPN Friday.
Despite biggest names in the fight, as Ryan said, boxing fans are not optimistic about the fight due to the sports difference between the UFC and boxing, and UFC fans may not be interesting in watching the sport they know and love.
Global fans eager to watch Mayweather-McGregor fight
The Gennady Golovkin-Canelo Alvarez boxing match is scheduled for September 16, which prevents promoters from making the Mayweather-McGregor event happen for that month. While Showtime executive figured the Mayweather-McGregor fight could happen in September, John Avello, head of the sports book at the Wynn, said October or November date is the best bet.
Evidently, an October date would probably be an ideal time for global fans to purchase tickets and attend its event. One broker, who wishes to remain anonymous, told ESPN that Europeans are eager to come and watch the Mayweather-McGregor fight.
