The Money Fight: Just How Much Money Is On The Ropes As McGregor And Mayweather Square Off?

All eyes are now fixed upon Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather as they gradually make their way towards the boxing ring in Las Vegas on Saturday night. The undefeated American Mayweather and the UFC lightweight champ McGregor of Ireland have traded many crude jibes in the buildup to the bout but Mayweather still remains the overwhelming favourite.Many of the questions surrounding the event involve how much money will be made, so we attempt to break down the possible earnings from the fight;
Ticket Sales
The August 26 fight is being held in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, a venue with a capacity of around 20,000. The easiest comparison, again, is with the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight two years ago, where $70million was generated in ticket sales. But that was held at the MGM Grand, which has a slightly smaller capacity, so there is a possibility that receipts from Mayweather-McGregor could top this fight.
Sponsorship
According to ESPN, pre-fight estimates for Mayweather-Pacquiao put sponsorship at around €15million, with beer company Tecate spending around $5.6million. Merchandise totalled around $1million. The amount of sponsorship money Floyd Mayweather is expected to make on his attire alone – an incredible £20million. See the breakdown below.
Pay Per View revenues
The bulk of what the fight will make, money-wise, will come through pay-per-view television. US viewers will be charged $99 to watch in high definition, a similar figure to the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight of 2015, while those watching in standard definition will pay $10 less.
More than four million purchases were made for Mayweather’s win over Pacquiao, bringing in nearly $400million in revenue. If Mayweather and McGregor can attract nearly as much interest, the figure will be similar this time around.
Total
Clearly the figure is only an estimate ahead of the fight. We will only get a clearer idea on how much was made afterwards. However, based on the past, a figure of $500million is not out of the question.