On Saturday, August 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather faced off in what had been tabbed as the fight of the century. Heavily-picked favorite Mayweather pulled off a win in a fight that attracted audience in a way unparalleled to any other boxing or ultimate fighting match.
The boxing match between the two fighters was rare, considering McGregor is a UFC fighter and Mayweather came out of retirement, just for one night.
Leading up to the night, the hype surrounding the event was unprecedented. The promotional tour for the fight made stops in Los Angeles, Toronto, New York and London. In these promotional events, major trash talk was dished out between the two parties. Both fighters claimed they could win the fight easily, but as everyone knew, only one could win.
Fans of boxing and ultimate fighting that were originally intrigued because they wanted to see how the fight played out were drawn further in because of the trash talk between the two competitors. The taunting between McGregor and Mayweather peaked the interest of fans of boxing and ultimate fighting as well as those that previously had no interest.
College sophomore Jacob Montenegro said, “In the weeks leading up to the event, the trash talk between the two fighters is really what made me interested in the fight. I was happy to see Mayweather pull out with the win. I thought McGregor was way in over his head with some of the comments he had made.”
The fight was heavily attended by many celebrities, including actors, professional athletes, musicians and boxing legends. Pop star Demi Lovato sang the national anthem on the night of the event in front of the packed T-Mobile Arena.
The first four rounds of the match featured strong performances from both boxers, but from there on out, Mayweather gradually ran away with the fight.
One thing to note about McGregor’s first boxing performance is that he landed 111 punches against Mayweather. That is 30 more punches landed than boxing legend Manny Pacquiao had against Mayweather in their highly anticipated fight in 2015.
Mayweather, who would go on to win the fight and maintain his undefeated record, landed 170 punches against McGregor. The victory would help lift Mayweather over Rocky Marciano in the all-time overall wins category at 50-0.
After the fight, Mayweather publically addressed the status of his boxing career by declaring this fight as his last. The entire boxing world will forever be changed by the impressive, undefeated record that has cemented Floyd Mayweather’s legacy.
Although McGregor lost in the end, it was a true moral victory for him as well as his team. Going into the night, he was the clear underdog. Most critics predicted that he would not even make four rounds, yet he lasted almost 10 full rounds.
Overall, the fight was viewed by millions, legally and illegally, all across the world. According to Variety.com, the fight was rebroadcasted illegally on 239 platforms, totaling in 2.93 million viewers. In addition to the 239 platforms, the fight would end up being illegally live-streamed on well-known sites such as YouTube, Facebook, Periscope, Twitch and more.
The fight was also broadcasted by Fathom Events in 534 movie theaters, totaling in $2.6 million for the company. The one-night event was so successful that it was the third most popular event in box offices on August 26, only trailing behind “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” and “Annabelle: Creation”.
In an interview with Yahoo, Showtime Sports Executive Vice President Stephen Espinoza said that the fight will most likely reach somewhere in the “mid to high 4 million” pay-per-view subscriptions bought.
For those who actually paid for the fight, many were met with disappointment. Before the fight even started, Showtime was experiencing technical difficulties that caused the event to become delayed. Fans who paid upwards of $99 had complaints claiming the HD lifestream quality was grainy and that there was excessive buffering.
Like most major sporting events in Sin City, millions of dollars were up for stake in the Las Vegas sports books. Business Insider reported that if Conor McGregor ended up the champion, sports books from across Las Vegas would have had to dish out close to $50 million.
When the fight was all said and done, both fighters cashed in on big pay days. Floyd Mayweather made $100 million while, despite the loss, McGregor still made upwards of $30 million.
In addition to the $100 million Mayweather made, he also took home a unique, customized belt, made just for the match. The belt was made by the World Boxing Council, who sanctioned the fight. The belt had been nicknamed “the money belt,” since it consists of 3,360 diamonds, 600 sapphires, 300 emeralds, 1.5 kilograms of solid 24-carat gold and is topped off with alligator leather.
The biggest question surrounding the fight, now that it is over, is what the next step for Conor McGregor will be. The most likely option is that he will return to the UFC octagon but it is possible that McGregor could find himself back in the boxing ring sometime in the future.
