Mayweather vs. McGregor, McGregor vs. Mayweather. No matter how you phrase it, the upcoming battle that is about to go down this weekend in Las Vegas between these two is easily one of the most anticipated fights in years.

For boxing purists, this is an odd fight to put it mildly. In one corner you have an undefeated five-division world champion in Floyd Mayweather. In the other corner sits a man who has never boxed in a professional manner in Conor McGregor, but as MMA fans know, McGregor can more than handle himself in the ring.

The only problem is, does it really matter who wins this match in the long run?

Well, of course it does to Mayweather and McGregor fans. And it sure does to sportsbooks in Las Vegas and across the globe.

How McGregor can make millions for gamblers

If Conor McGregor defeats Floyd Mayweather, Las Vegas sportsbooks will lose a lot of money — as in hundreds of millions. If McGregor somehow can win the match in one of the first four rounds it could be disastrous for Nevada sportsbooks, literally. If the MMA star defeats Mayweather within the first four rounds it could lead to one of the biggest losses on a sports bet in MGM Resorts’ history.

Mayweather may be 49-0 in his career, and have a huge following, but in this fight the betting public is all over the underdog. Yahoo! Indicates that the directors at the MGM Resorts sportsbooks —which include the MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, Bellagio, Mirage, Monte Carlo and New York New York — have been taking bets on this fight for months, and it is all one sided towards McGregor.

The MGM has reportedly taken in an estimated 6,500 tickets written on McGregor to win, vs. only 300 for Mayweather. That is an incredible difference.

So why are so many folks wagering on McGregor? Simple. When the odds were first released on this fight several months ago, Mayweather was a heavy favorite. Some sportsbooks had Mayweather listed as high as -2500, making the return on McGregor +2000.

Win or lose, the “smart” money early on was with the underdog. Since then the odds have drawn much closer. Current odds at Paddy Power have Mayweather down 1/4, making McGregor 7/2 - which is a far cry from +2000.

Prediction

After all the hype, who wins this battle of this boxing great vs. the MMA champ? It is too predictable to take the favorite, even though this favorite is one of the best of all-time.

Let’s face it, McGregor is the ultimate wild card. Nobody knows if he will have the stamina to last, or if he will be the first one to take Mayweather off his game and hand him his first defeat. That is what makes this fight so intriguing.

Unlike any other sport, boxing Las Vegas sportsbooks post odds are meant to be wagered on the underdog. Just remember, there was no way Mike Tyson was going to lose to this up-and-comer named Buster Douglas.

Sure, no one is giving McGregor a shot, and on paper why should they? He just doesn't add up to Mayweather in the boxing ring, according to all the experts. Nevertheless, if McGregor can land some punches, he is going to make this fight more interesting than most people believe. Ride the underdog and hope for a huge payout on a small risk.

Pick: Conor McGregor
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