Undefeated American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. has come out of retirement. Unlike his opponent in the Aug. 25 fight in Las Vegas MMA champ Conor McGregor, the purse is not what “Money May” is after.
He has more than enough cash to last him a lifetime with a peak earning of $230 million when Mayweather fought Filipino eight-division title holder Manny Pacquiao in 2015. Although McGregor became richer by $27 million in his last two fights, UFC payday is peanuts compared to the purse offered by boxing, SB Nation pointed out.
Betting favorite
Like the “Fight of the Century” match between Mayweather and Pacquiao two years ago, the match between the undefeated boxer and an MMA champion is a fantasy match speculated months ago.
MMA Junkie pointed out that betting lines for the Mayweather-McGregor bout had been long months ago.
Since McGregor is seen as the underdog, the MMA fighter, who once was an amateur boxer, is the Early favorite among bettors. SportsInsights reported that over 90 percent of the wagers are for McGregor. Sports experts are not surprised by this since recreational bettors are reluctant to lay moneyline odds in the current range. The current odds, however, are stacked in favor of Mayweather at -800, while McGregor, perceived as the underdog, has odds of +500.
Such numbers mean a bettor would need to wager $800 on the undefeated boxing champ to net $100 in profit. On the one hand, a winning $100 bet on Mayweather would yield a profit of $12.50.
On the other hand, anyone who bets $100 on McGregor and the MMA fighter winds will enjoy a profit of $500.
Odds lopsided in Mayweather’s corner
With odds in favor of “Money May” ranging from -800 to -2,500, the odds would be closer than other bouts Mayweather had fought. McGregor, nevertheless, remains a staggering underdog, according to the assessment by SBNation.
The sports website based its fearless forecast on that fact that Mayweather is one of the best defensive boxers in the world, while McGregor is an amateur boxer who has never competed in the sport professionally.
Although McGregor is aware that Mayweather is the crowd's favorite, he told ESPN in May that Mayweather needs to fight him because if the billionaire boxer picks another professional boxer for his next bout, the purse goes down significantly to $15 million from $100 million. Mayweather last match versus Andre Berto yielded him a gross pay of $32 million which is loose changed by “Money May’s” standards.
