Mayweather-McGregor Fight Expected To Set Pay-Per-View, Betting Records
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- The televised undercard was underway Saturday evening as the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Conor McGregor fight drew closer.
The T-Mobile Arena was still virtually empty for what was expected to be a late-arriving crowd. Promoters had nearly 2,000 tickets still to sell on fight day at prices ranging from $2,500 to $10,000.
Irish fans filled the arena the day before for the weigh-in, when McGregor weighed 153 pounds and Mayweather 149 1/2.
The fight was expected to set records on pay-per-view, with some 5 million homes buying at $99.95. The main event is expected to begin about 9 p.m. local time.
The big money continued rolling in just before fight time at Las Vegas's sports books, with several million-dollar bets on Floyd Mayweather Jr. to beat Conor McGregor.
Bookies had faced taking a big loss because McGregor tickets outnumbered Mayweather tickets by as much as 18-1 at some books. But the big bets started coming in Thursday on Mayweather and at the William Hill chain of sports books 74 percent of the money on straight bets was on Mayweather.
There were a handful of million-dollar bets on Mayweather, with three coming in just hours before the fight. The biggest reported bet on McGregor is $100,000.
Bookmakers say they still will post a big loss should McGregor beat Mayweather, especially if he stops him early. If Mayweather wins, though, it will be a big score by the sports books.
Mayweather was minus 600 at William Hill, down from 11-1 when the fight was announced.
The fight is shaping up to be the biggest bet fight ever, breaking the mark of about $50 million set in Mayweather's win over Manny Pacquiao in 2015.
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