Are you ready for the mega-fight on Saturday, August 26 in Las Vegas between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor? The hype surrounding the bout has been off the charts with stories continually coming out about how McGregor has a chance to shock Mayweather. That should come as no surprise, because the more people that believe McGregor can win, the more people who will pay money to see the fight. What other big stories are worth keeping an eye on with Mayweather vs. McGregor hype?
Bet UFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Southpaw Hype
Have you read the stories about how McGregor has a big chance to win simply because he is a southpaw? Mayweather has supposedly struggled against lefties in his career, even though he is 49-0 overall. People say that the awkward style of left-handers gives Mayweather more trouble and make him more open to getting hit by big shots.
One person who isn’t buying the southpaw hype is George Foreman who told USA Today Sports that it doesn’t matter. “The whole southpaw thing is not going to make any difference,” Foreman said, “What, are we supposed to think that Floyd has never fought a southpaw before? Look at his record, and look at what happened.”
Mayweather dominated southpaw Robert Guerrero in 2015, took care of Zab Judah in 2006 and he dominated DaMarcus Corley in 2004. The most famous lefty of all-time is Manny Pacquiao and Mayweather had no trouble with Pacquiao.
Mayweather said that he expects McGregor to change his style throughout the fight. “With McGregor, he looks to come out,” Mayweather said. “He is going to come out and he will keep switching. I know what he’s going to do. I already know. He will come out southpaw then switch to the other way, keep switching but you can switch and all you are doing is burning energy. So let me give him some knowledge. If you keep switching, you are burning too much energy.”
Ticket Sale Hype
You have probably heard or read that Mayweather vs. McGregor is supposed to set all-time records for fight sales. The record for pay-per-view buys is $4.6 million, which was set by Mayweather vs. Pacquiao in 2015. Based on the early numbers, that number may not be reached.
With just days remaining before the fight, there were plenty of tickets remaining in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena for the fight and there were entire rows of $150 closed-circuit seats remaining at Las Vegas hotels. Some diehard boxing fans don’t believe the fight will be competitive and they may not be willing to shell out $100 or more to watch the fight on TV. Oscar De La Hoya said that many real boxing fans will not shell out the big money to see the fight.
“There are the boxing purists who aren’t as enthusiastic about this fight, and I understand that,” said Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza to the Toronto Star, “But I think that’s more than compensated by the huge crush of mainstream interest in the event. The event as a whole remains compelling. It’s something we’ve never seen before and no one can reliably predict how it is going to go.”
When Mayweather and Pacquiao fought, ticket demand was through the roof, with the cheapest tickets going for $4,000 a few weeks before the fight. The cheapest Mayweather vs. McGregor tickets on the secondary market have fallen to $1,500. Ticketmaster expected overwhelming fan demand but that has not been the case. It is now predicted that the cheapest ticket for fight night will be about $1,000.
Mayweather and Pacquiao have been promoting this fight virtually non-stop for months. They have been in big cities like Toronto, Los Angeles, Brooklyn and London. Instead of generating more interest for the bout, the tour has actually done more harm than good, with ridiculous comments that appear to be outright lies.
Boxing Odds
Conor McGregor +355
Floyd Mayweather -485
Rounds 8.5 (under -135)
Bet UFC at BookMaker.eu
How to Bet
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker sportsbook! Real-time spreads, totals, props and money line are all available so start betting with BookMaker today. Mayweather vs. McGregor takes place on Saturday, August 26, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight will air live on pay-per-view.
