Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Connor McGregor, both highly esteemed fighters in their own right, have been dancing around and toward each other over the past year, working to what is one of most highly anticipated fights of all time. Although the fight has yet to be confirmed, analysts think it is going to happen. And how could it not, with all this money on the table?

For some quick background: Mayweather boasts an incredible boxing record with a total of 49 wins out of 49 fights, with 26 being decided by a KO. McGregor’s background is in mixed martial arts (MMA) with a record of 21 wins and three losses, recording a total of 18 KOs. McGregor would be making the transition from the Octagon to the boxing ring for this match, so he may be out of his element, but he is known for his striking ability.

Comparatively speaking, the Mayweather-Pacquiao match up back in 2015 was the single largest boxing event in the history of the sport in terms of revenue. The event brought in roughly $623 million. But will Mayweather-McGregor draw a similar crowd?

ESPN’s Darren Rovell assembled a team of ticket brokers, sports marketers and others who are or have been in the business of boxing to take a closer look at how much money this fight stands to make.

In terms of ticket sales, analysts are saying that this match could draw about $77 million, which falls short of the fight with Pacquiao which recorded $79.1 million in ticket sales. However, there are a couple of key differences. First the McGregor fight would not be a title match. Although, the fight could draw a larger European crowd, considering McGregor’s heritage in Ireland.

Pay-per-view sales are projected to be $475 million, which would beat out the Pac-Man fight by $20 million. Considering this fight is a huge spectacle and the hype that has built around it, analysts are thinking that around 4.75 million people will buy in to watch the fight, and at around $100 a pop this is a nice chunk of change.

Sponsorship sales are expected to beat the Pacquiao fight, with a projection of $22 million compared to $18.4 million. Merchandise sales are projected at $2 million, double what Mayweather-Pacquiao drew.

Finally, Nevada betting on the fight was the deciding factor. Mayweather-Pacquiao had an estimated $70 million on the fight, whereas Mayweather-McGregor is projected to be $30 million. The key factor in this difference is that Mayweather is a 25-1 favorite in this fight, or what some would call a sure thing. So there is little return for betting on the favorite in this case.

After considering all this, the estimated total for the Mayweather-McGregor fight comes in at $606 million, which just falls short of the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight at $623 million.

Get Our Free Investment Newsletter

I have read, and agree to the Terms of Use

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.