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Not long ago, the so-called “fight of the century” took place between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather, which attracted huge attention martial arts fans around the world. The uniqueness of this fight is that Conor McGregor had never fought according to the rules of boxing before, so the fight against the absolute champion Mayweather became the event of the year in the world of martial arts. Despite the fact that McGregor lost the fight, he was able to earn a huge amount of money from this event.
The merits of Mayweather and McGregor: a general comparison.
Most of the profits from broadcast sales went to Mayweather as champion. Income was divided in a ratio of 1 to 4. Judging by the number of broadcasts sold, the amount of remuneration for the champion was about 230 million dollars, while the Irishman received about 60 million.
How much did the winner and loser get?
Even before the fight, the amount that the winner of the fight was guaranteed to receive was known. As has already been announced, the amount of remuneration for the champion amounted to more than one hundred million dollars. Despite the fact that McGregor lost this fight, his reward was more than 30 million.
Now you can imagine exactly how much McGregor earned for the fight with Mayweather.
Mayweather's earnings and net worth from other fights
In addition to the “fight of the year,” Floyd was excellent at earning huge sums from other boxing fights. Over the course of his 21-year career, Mayweather managed to earn over a billion dollars. which is an absolute record among professional fighters. According to some calculations and estimates, Floyd's net worth is estimated at $1.3 billion.
Not counting the “fight of the year,” the highest-grossing boxing match is considered to be the meeting between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. The total prize fund for this fight was about 500 million. Of these, only 100 went to Pacquiao, while Floyd managed to earn an amount of 300 million. Of them most of constitutes royalties from sponsorship agreements and money from the sale of broadcasts. A less “cash-office” fight with Saul Alvarez brought the American about 75 million.
In addition to earning money from various fights, Floyd has many personal companies, with the help of which he increases his fortune. One of such companies is a promotion agency. Mayweather receives money from various companies that are interested in his face.
LastRound. rusums up the most profitable three months this year.
*We count only numbers officially published in the press, without taking into account additional percentages from paid broadcast sales. In the case of the UFC, we do not take into account payments from Reebok and bonuses for performance of the night and fight of the night. Only a fixed fee, even without bonuses for winning.
Floyd Mayweather
How much did you earn: 100 million dollars
Once best boxer on the planet returned to the ring for an unprecedented fight with the main MMA star. Floyd promised that his decision would be discussed at lectures in all leading economic universities, and now it really seems to be true.
Mayweather beat a man with a professional boxing record of 0-0 and earned a guaranteed $100 million for it. According to rumors, this number was multiplied by three after calculating the sales of paid broadcasts, merchandise and other amenities. It was not for nothing that Floyd went to fight wearing a mask - another robbery in Las Vegas took place in front of the whole world. On the other hand, there are definitely no victims in this story.
Conor McGregor
How much did you earn:$30 million
The flamboyant Irishman claimed that he was boxing and promised to rule the two sports with an iron grip, but no miracle happened. McGregor was beaten, and despite all the compliments from MMA fighters, he didn’t look too great.
In any case, Conor earned more in 28 minutes and 5 seconds than in his entire UFC career. McGregor's official check is $30 million, which means that on August 26, for every minute in the ring, the Irishman received a little more than a million dollars.
“Notorious” himself said that he would make about 100 million dollars, and this seems to be true. If so, for every minute the Irishman became richer by almost 3.5 million dollars. Great business, considering that in 5 rounds of a difficult war with Nate Diaz, McGregor earned only 3 million. Will Conor be able to return to such fees - for now? the most important question V further career main MMA star.
Saul Alvarez
How much did you earn: 5 million dollars
The fight between Saul Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin was supposed to be the most money-making fight of the fall, and possibly the year, but Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor intervened. Compared to the fees of the aforementioned moneymakers, the checks of the two boxers look a little modest, but this is still a lot of money for striking sports. Do not forget that these are only official figures, and do not take into account percentages of PPV and ticket sales.
It’s a little confusing that the press initially reported 15 million for each boxer. However, after all the additional payments, the fighters will easily cross the $15-20 million mark.
Considering that Alvarez also earned a guaranteed $5 million for his fight with Julio Cesar Chavez, we can only be happy for the Mexican, who received $10 million for 72 minutes in the ring in 2017.
Gennady Golovkin
How much did you earn:$3 million
Best year in GGG's career in terms of opposition and fees. Perhaps Gennady will fight in December, earning additional money. But taking into account the fact that Gennady replenished his account by at least 5.5 million dollars in 2 fights, there is no urgent need for this.
For the fight with Daniel Jacobs, Gennady Golovkin earned 2.5 million dollars, for the meeting with Alvarez - 3. As we found out, in fact, in the fight with the Mexican, GGG will approach the mark of 15 or 20 million dollars.
If we abstract from this and return to official fees, we need to understand what $3 million is for MMA. For example, the salaries of all fighters at the largest UFC 214 tournament with the participation of Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, Robbie Lawler, Tyron Woodley and Cris Cyborg amounted to 3 million 846 thousand dollars, taking into account victory bonuses and bonuses for performance and fight of the night, but excluding payments from Reebok.
Almost $4 million for 24 people in one of the biggest tournaments this year versus $3 million for Gennady Golovkin alone - a clear difference in fees between boxers and MMA fighters.
Daniel Cormier
How much did you earn: 1 million dollars
Daniel Cormier lost to his biggest career opponent with a stunning third-round knockout, but that was the latest bad news for DC. After the fight, his account was replenished with $1 million (400 thousand more than in the rematch with Anthony Johnson), and a few weeks later it became known that Jones was knocked out by results from the USADA laboratory, having passed a positive doping test.
Now the result of the fight has been canceled, Daniel can try on the championship belt again and take a short vacation - $1.6 million per year, excluding percentages from PPV sales. Let's not forget that there is good money in American television, and Cormier works as a commentator and analyst.
Mikey Garcia and Adrien Broner
How much did you earn: 1 million dollars each
It's funny that the Adrien Broner and Jon Jones fights cost the same. On the other hand, Mikey Garcia is one of the ten best boxers of our time and fights for $1 million.
In any case, on paper it was good fight and great business for Adrien Broner. In fact, Garcia dealt with the American quite confidently and, apparently, is aiming for even larger fees. There are possible fights ahead with Vasily Lomachenko, Jorge Linares, Terence Crawford and even Manny Pacquiao.
Alistair Overeem
How much did you earn: 800 thousand dollars
Overeem is one of the highest paid fighters in the UFC. For the fight with Mark Hunt, the Dutchman earned $750 thousand. After the fight with Fabricio Werdum, “Rome” became richer by another 800 thousand, making $1.5 million in 2017. In December, Alistair will test the dangerous Francis Ngannou. It’s interesting that Overeem doesn’t even have to win to get a good check – the Dutchman’s fee is fixed and does not depend on victories.
It can be assumed that “Rome” will make another 700-800 thousand dollars for the upcoming fight, which means it will cross the $2 million mark for 3 fights. To earn that kind of money, the supposed Cris Cyborg will need to fight 10 times.
Vasily Lomachenko
How much did you earn: $750 thousand
The Ukrainian's fee was 15 times more than that of his rival Miguel Marraga. Lomachenko was approximately the same number of times superior to the Colombian in skill. So that Miguel is not so offended, we note that he earns more per fight than any fighter at the UFC Fight Night 115 tournament, if we take into account net fees without bonuses for the performance and fight of the evening (Struve - 44 thousand, Taisumov - 18 + 18, Volkov – 14 +14, Magomedsharipov – 10 + 10).
For the fight with Rigondeaux, Lomachenko should receive even more serious money, but this time he will have to really try.
Miguel Cotto
How much did you earn: 750 thousand dollars
Miguel Cotto demanded $10 million for the fight with Yoshihiro Kamegai from his promoter Roc Nation, but Jay Z doesn’t know enough about boxing to pay the Puerto Rican that kind of money for a fight with an unknown, albeit strong, Japanese man.
Cotto and Roc Nation ended their working relationship, and for the last two fights of his career, Miguel entered into an agreement with Golden Boy Promotion. It’s hard to believe that Cotto moderated his appetite from 10 million to 750 thousand dollars, but on paper everything is indicated exactly like that.
In any case, in December Miguel will try to choose the best big name to snatch the maximum piece. The fact is that the upcoming fight will be the last in his career for the Puerto Rican. So far, Gennady Golovkin looks like this, but even tens of millions are unlikely to compensate for the damage caused to health. But you can quite count on a fight with David Lemieux.
Roman Gonzalez
How much did you earn: 600 thousand dollars
The heir to Floyd Mayweather in the ranking of the best boxers, regardless of weight categories, in March of this year sensationally and undeniably lost to the unknown Thai Visaksil Wangek (aka Srisaket Sor Rungvisai). Gonzalez was headbutted, bleeding, and failed to win a decision. The consolation bonus was 550 thousand dollars - colossal money for fighters in small weight categories.
In the rematch, Gonzalez had to claim that there was an accident in March, but he lost again, and this time by knockout. For the fight, Roman earned 600 thousand dollars, but it is unlikely that the Nicaraguan will be able to repeat this fee in the near future.
As for Visaksil Wangek - he earned 170 thousand dollars, became national hero and will never work as a street cleaner again.
By the way, this is pretty good money for the UFC. Valentina Shevchenko, Alexey Oleinik, Jimi Manuva and Rashad Evans cannot boast of such a fee.
Jon Jones
How much did you earn: 500 thousand dollars
Jones screwed it up again. A triumphant return, a convincing knockout victory and several interesting options– a rematch with Gustafsson, a trip to the heavyweight division before fights with Stipe Miocic or Brock Lesnar. Everything collapsed when the media Once again The American was declared a fiasco - a positive doping test.
The result of the fight with Cormier is canceled, Jones is stripped of the belt and again puts his fate in the hands of the anti-doping commission. Now the American faces disqualification for 2 or 4 years. I would like to hope that Jones will not be deprived of the $500 thousand he earned for the fight with Cormier.
Tyron Woodley
How much did you earn: 500 thousand dollars
In two last battle Woodley earned $500,000 each, but still has his sights set on really big fights. Considering the fact that Adrien Broner makes a million dollars per fight, Tyrone's desire is understandable.
But there is a problem - Woodley doesn't put on a show, and his fights are too cautious. Money fights are still a long way off for Tyrone, but he's doing a good job defending the belts and making money.
Less than $500,000:
**Alexander Usik, Dmitry Kudryashov, Yunier Dorticos, Mairis Briedis, Marco Huck, Oscar Valdez - $400 thousand, Yoel Romero, Robert Whittaker - $350 thousand, Cris Cyborg, Robbie Lawler, Gilbert Melendez - $200 thousand, Chris Wideman, Fabricio Werdum – $275 thousand
**Participants in the World Boxing Super Series - excluding bonuses for victory (Usyk, Briedis and Dorticos received another 400 thousand dollars for victories, a total of 800 thousand each).
Joseph Parker could earn $1.8 million for his fight with Hughie Fury. The Briton's fee was supposed to be $1.2 million. The fight was supposed to take place on May 6 in New Zealand, but the fight was postponed due to an injury to the challenger.
Text: Bogdan Domansky
Champion and record holder. How Mayweather became the world's highest-grossing athlete
Floyd Mayweather beat Conor McGregor to earn a record payday. We remember his sports and life path.
Mayweather knocked out McGregor. How it was
Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeated MMA fighter UFC champion Conor McGregor ahead of schedule.
The 40-year-old 12-time world champion in five weight categories - a black American (50-0-0, 27 KO) returned to the ring after a two-year break and, as promised, won an early victory over the current champion who volunteered to compete with him according to boxing rules UFC lightweight champion 29-year-old Irishman Conor McGregor.
Some called this fight a pure show, others insisted on its purely sporting nature, and some outrageous journalists even dubbed it the next “fight of the century.” But be that as it may, the Mayweather-McGregor fight really had a great resonance in the world of martial arts. Due to this, both rivals “raised” huge amounts of money on it. Even without taking into account additional bonuses, which will form the final earnings of the American and the Irishman, for this fight Floyd will receive a guaranteed fee of $100 million, and Conor – $30 million.
Mayweather has once again lived up to his ring nickname - Money, which shows him mainly consumer attitude to boxing. Floyd began to admit quite a long time ago that he had already lost interest and passion for the boxing sports confrontation in pure form and enters the ring primarily to earn money.
Floyd also claims that he chooses his own opponents. That is, here too he reserves the right to act not on a sporting principle. Although, as you know, professional boxing is only partly a sport, the other part is business. The fight that just took place fully and completely met both of the given criteria. It was truly one of a kind historical event for the world of combat sports, which organically absorbed elements of show, business and sports.
Continuer of the Mayweather boxing dynasty
Floyd Mayweather Jr. was originally destined to become a boxer, since his father and two uncles were famous pro fighters in their time. Uncle Roger became the world champion, father Floyd Sr. boxed with himself Sugar Ray Leonard, and Uncle Jeff - with Oscar de la Hoya. Floyd Jr. first put on boxing gloves at the age of 8 and trained under the tutelage of his father. Already in those years, the boy’s great talent was visible. Few could compete with his manual speed and outstanding reflexes.
But at the same time, Floyd has always had a high intelligence of actions in the ring. We can say that Mayweather Jr. took it all best qualities and left aside the shortcomings of the fighting styles of Uncle Roger and Father Floyd Sr. And then, having improved and polished them, he went much further in skill than his relatives.
Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The guy grew up in very difficult social conditions. However, he was focused on boxing since childhood; no other sports attracted his attention. When Floyd Sr. was sentenced to five years for transporting and selling cocaine in 1993, Floyd Jr. dropped out of school and began to devote himself entirely to boxing in order to help financially his numerous dysfunctional family. And Uncle Roger took on the role of his coach.
From amateur to pro with Olympic bronze medal
In amateur boxing, Mayweather had 90 official fights, of which he won 84 and lost 6. He was a three-time winner of the most prestigious US national tournament, the Golden Gloves. Floyd also represented his country at home Olympic Games 1996 in Atlanta, where he boxed in the featherweight category (up to 57 kg) and was judged in the semi-finals (losing by one point 9:10) with the Bulgarian Serafim Todorov. Thus, being content with the bronze Olympic medal, Mayweather decided to immediately switch to professional boxing.
Floyd's debut in the professional ring took place on October 11, 1996, when he was 19 years old. Then he signed a contract with the promotion company Top Rank Bob Arum and speaking as part of the first lightweight division, he stopped the Mexican at the beginning of the 2nd round Roberto Apodacu. The path to the first fight for the world title took Mayweather exactly two years, during which he had 17 victorious rating fights. It must be said that Bob Arum led his potentially star ward quite carefully, putting up little-known opposition against him.
The beginning of the championship conveyor
However, when in October 1998 Floyd went to fight with the seasoned long-time Mexican world champion Genaro Hernandez, who held the WBC lightweight title, winning that fight was quite easy for Mayweather. The highest speed and refined technique did their job. The declassed Hernandez refused to continue the fight after the end of the 8th round and never entered the ring again.
Mayweather held his first world title for more than three years, having managed to carry out eight successful defenses in a row during this time. Already in this early champion period, Floyd defeated several famous former and future world champions, among whom his compatriot stands apart Diego Corrales. The latter was significantly larger than Mayweather and was considered a very dangerous and charismatic puncher. However, as the fight progressed, Floyd sent his formidable opponent to the ring floor five times until Corrales' corner threw in the towel.
Up the scales
Go to a light weight marked the most controversial judicial decision in Mayweather's career. In April 2002, Floyd defeated the famous Mexican paceman on points Jose Luis Castillo and won the WBC world title, but many considered this judge's verdict unfair. To Mayweather's credit, he agreed to an immediate rematch. And just six months later he beat Castillo again on points, but this time the judge’s decision, although it was quite close, was, in the opinion of most boxing fans, not controversial, as in their first fight.
In the lungs weight category Floyd limited himself to just three defenses of the WBC world title, after which he decided to move up to junior welterweight. In an eliminator match against a compatriot DeMarcus Corley Mayweather experienced certain problems when his opponent managed to shake him in one of his attacks. However, Floyd survived and ended that fight with a confident victory on points. And in June 2005, Floyd secured his championship in the third weight category, winning an early victory over the incredibly popular charismatic Canadian Arturo Gatti among boxing fans and winning the WBC world title.
Less than a year later, Mayweather successfully stormed the championship heights in the welterweight division, defeating the famous very fast and talented compatriot Zab Judah on points. Then Floyd tried on the IBF championship belt. After this there was a successful fight against the Argentinean Carlos Baldomir and winning the WBC world title. Well, then came a key moment in Mayweather’s career, after which he acquired superstar status and became one of the highest-grossing boxers of our time. We are talking about the fight that took place in May 2007 with the most popular Mexican-American Oscar de la Hoya at that time.
Transition to superstar status
It was last time, when Floyd was the B-side in organizing the fight. Following the results of a not very simple fight, from which Mayweather emerged victorious by a split decision, he, as they say, received a ticket to the life of a superstar from the sport. In addition, Floyd became a champion in his fifth weight category, winning the WBC world junior middleweight title. In all subsequent fights, Mayweather chose his own opponents, fighting mainly with star opposition and performing either in the welterweight or junior middleweight divisions.
In subsequent battles such ring stars as the British Ricky Hatton and Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez. True, between these fights in Mayweather’s boxing career there was a pause of almost two years. And in May 2010, Floyd fought with his famous compatriot Shane Mosley. The latter managed to shake Mayweather very much at the beginning of the fight, but his excellent physical and functional form allowed Floyd to quickly recover and take the initiative in the fight.
Then Mayweather continued to enter the ring quite rarely - on average once a year. However, this factor did not prevent him from winning victories over Victor Ortiz, Miguel Cotto And Robert Guerrero. And in September 2013, Floyd fought a duel against a popular young Mexican Saul Alvarez, whom some called the new Oscar de la Hoya. That fight became the second highest-grossing fight in history from PPV sales after the Mayweather-de la Hoya fight, and Floyd also won on points.
The home stretch of a boxing career
2014 was marked by a two-match confrontation between Mayweather and the tough and hitting Argentinean Marcos Maidana. And although Floyd’s victory in their first fight did not cause controversy, many boxing fans considered Mayweather’s performance lackluster. And Floyd agreed to hold an immediate rematch, in which he again defeated Maidana on points without much brightness. This happened in September. And two months later, when another current superstar is a Filipino Manny Pacquiao convincingly defeated the Italian-American Chris Algieri, boxing fans from all over the world with unprecedented persistence began to demand the organization of the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight.
This confrontation, which they tried to organize for many years, was also called the “battle of the century.” And in financially it became just that, breaking several historical records for royalties and box office receipts. However, from a sporting point of view, this supposed mega-fight did not live up to the hopes placed on it. In a boring fight, accompanied by a minimum of clear and hard hits on both sides, Mayweather won.
Final comeback
After this, Floyd fought, as stated, a farewell fight, convincingly, but not brightly, defeating his compatriot on points by unanimous decision Andre Berto. After which, it seemed, he left the ring forever. However, now we have witnessed his return, which allowed Mayweather not only to become significantly richer again, but also to bring his track record to 50 victories in official fights in the pro ring. Thus, Floyd broke the symbolic record of the legendary heavyweight Rocky Marciano, who at one time left boxing as an unbeaten fighter with a track record of 49 victories.
The fight with McGregor showed that neither his advanced age by boxing standards, nor his two-year downtime, nor his superiority in physical strength, weight and dimensions, nor the 8-ounce gloves helped the Irishman create a sensation by beating one of best boxers in history. At the beginning of the fight, Mayweather did not get involved in an open fight with an opponent who was still fresh and superior in power.
Floyd spent the opening rounds quite passively, allowing McGregor to feel some confidence and even show off. But, as Mayweather said in the post-fight interview, he did it deliberately, that was his strategy for the fight. Apparently, in order not to test the functional strength of his body, Floyd acted in an economical mode, without turning on maximum speeds and revolutions. We didn't see the American performing his signature graceful and agile footwork.
On the contrary, blocking, Mayweather tried to put pressure on his opponent. McGregor threw quite a few punches, but even sometimes reaching the target, they, as a rule, landed casually. And when soon enough the Irishman’s stamina began to sag, Floyd gradually began to increase momentum, every now and then hitting his opponent with weak but accurate blows to both the head and torso.
And after the equator of the fight, Mayweather had already taken the initiative into his own hands so much that he not only began to interrupt his larger opponent, but also forced him to constantly back away. During the breaks, McGregor's seconds encouraged him to work easier and, if necessary, enter the clinch, which is what he tried to do. However, from round to round Floyd increased the pace and by the 8th three-minute period Conor was practically exhausted.
The denouement came in the 10th round, when Mayweather carried out another effective series of blows, as a result of which McGregor floated and was thrown to the ropes. Seeing the plight of the Irishman, who, showered with persistent blows from Floyd, was about to fall onto the floor of the ring, the referee wedged himself between the fighters and gave the go-ahead to stop the fight. At the time of the stoppage, Mayweather was leading on the cards of all three side judges with scores of 89-91, 89-82 and 87-83.
In the post-fight interview, Mayweather noted that he kept his word, guaranteeing before the fight that he would win an early victory over McGregor. He also paid tribute to his opponent, saying that the Irishman turned out to be a competitive opponent and was better than he thought before the fight. He talked about his plan for the fight, which he implemented in full. He also confirmed that this was his last fight in the ring and now he is finally hanging up his gloves.
American boxer Floyd Mayweather defeated Irish mixed-style wrestler Conor McGregor by technical knockout. The “fight of the century”, which took place in Las Vegas, ended in the tenth round, when McGregor could hardly stand on his feet and the referee decided to stop the fight.
What does this mean for the world of martial arts? And in general, is it necessary to draw any conclusions based on this? These are, perhaps, the main questions that arose after the end of the duel.
“It was a real fight, everyone who watched it understands this. Floyd showed excellent boxing and deservedly won. Of course, boxing beat MMA, that’s a fact,” Mauricio Suleiman, president of the World Boxing Council (WBC), hastened to state.
Let us beg to differ with Mr. Suleiman. His conclusion seems too naive. Since the fight was held according to boxing rules, Floyd Mayweather's superiority was not in doubt from the very beginning. Fight in Las Vegas once again confirmed another fact: boxing and mixed martial arts are absolutely different types sports. McGregor had three trump cards: he was 11 years younger than his opponent, several kilograms heavier, plus Floyd had not boxed at a serious level for two years. None of this helped the Irishman. It's been a long time since Conor's fans saw him so helpless: in the tenth round, McGregor miraculously didn't end up on the floor, but he would definitely have done it if the referee hadn't stopped the beating.
Although the Irishman himself did not agree with the referee’s decision. "It's a matter of fatigue. The judge should have allowed me to continue. I was reeling from fatigue, not from the damage done. My head was clear," McGregor said after the fight.
In any case, a loss to Mayweather is unlikely to have a negative impact on Conor's reputation. Rather, on the contrary, many began to treat McGregor with even greater respect: few expected the Irishman to last in the ring until the tenth round. Even Floyd admitted: "McGregor looked a lot better than I expected."
The loser himself did not have a complex about his knockout for long. “The show must go on,” McGregor probably wanted to say when he showed up to the post-fight press conference with a glass of Irish whiskey.
Well, since it was still a show, then its main results lie not in the sporting plane, but in the financial one. And here there can be no two opinions: the fight between Mayweather and McGregor became the most grandiose event in the world of martial arts. The estimated revenue of the organizers from the fight is $600 million: they have never earned that much in either boxing or MMA before. McGregor himself will receive about 130 million, taking into account the fixed contract and commercial royalties. “If I don’t be stupid, I’ll secure myself for the rest of my life,” losers don’t say that. Mayweather is also not at a loss: his total profit could reach 400 million. He also won a record 50th win without defeat. But Floyd, nicknamed Money (money - RG note), is unlikely to be very interested in this circumstance now.
Between American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Irish mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Conor McGregor. This fight aroused great interest all over the world. It became the most expensive fight in history. The organizers' expenses for holding it amounted to 600 million dollars!
However, the fight was not a title fight. It was held according to boxing rules within the first middle weight category (up to 69 kilograms). This is an important clarification, since the Irishman is not a pure boxer. Conor has built an incredible career in professional sports in just a few years. A former plumber became the king of mixed martial arts. His main weapon is phenomenal self-confidence. McGregor quite quickly covered the path from small-town tournaments in his native Ireland to the main fights of the evening of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
40-year-old Mayweather had won all 49 of his professional fights before meeting the brash Irishman. He had his last fight in September 2015, defeating Andre Berto, after which he announced his retirement. However, Floyd changed his mind for the fight with Conor. Mayweather is a 12-time world boxing champion, McGregor is the current UFC lightweight champion.
*The winner received a special championship belt, which the media nicknamed the “Money Belt.” According to the website of the World Boxing Council (WBC), one and a half kilograms of 24-karat gold, as well as 3 thousand 360 diamonds, 600 sapphires and 160 emeralds, were used to make this trophy. The belt is made of crocodile leather and painted in emerald color. But that’s not the only reason they called him money. Mayweather earned $300 million for the fight with the Irishman, 29-year-old McGregor - $80 million. As bonuses, bonuses were added to the winner, as well as a percentage of ticket sales and paid broadcasts (pay-per-view). So fees can increase several times!
*Conor McGregor has long understood that the public needs a bright spectacle. And he provided it. The show began during the control weigh-in. It turned out that the Irishman weighs 69.4 kilograms, and the American weighs 67.8 kilograms. But these numbers were immediately forgotten, because journalists and other audiences made fun of McGregor along with Mayweather. Conor showed up in tight-fitting Calvin Klein briefs. He still looked the same. Floyd didn’t even try to hold back his laughter, and this only made the Irishman even angrier.
*McGregor was very aggressive for the first three rounds. He dramatically put his hands behind his back, as if he was offering himself to the enemy. However, then Mayweather, thanks to his skill and experience, leveled the situation and gradually seized the initiative. In the 10th round, Conor missed several punches in a row, after which the referee stopped the fight, awarding Mayweather a victory by technical knockout. Floyd won his 50th career fight, breaking the legendary Rocky Marciano's record for most consecutive victories. After the end of the fight, 40-year-old Mayweather announced his retirement. He has not lost a single fight in his professional career (photo EPA/UPG)
*The show did not end after the final gong. A battered McGregor came out to the post-fight press conference in a bright suit with a bottle of Irish whiskey in his hand. He poured himself Reviver V a plastic cup and took generous sips from time to time. And then the restless Irishman threw an all-night party at the Encore Beach Club. Admission ticket for the loser's party it cost about $200. But those who came did not regret it - they were treated to expensive champagne at Conor’s expense. They say he spent about 130 thousand dollars on this treat alone!
*The unusual fight in Las Vegas attracted the attention of many celebrities. Jennifer Lopez arrived on a private jet with her fiancé Alex Rodriguez. Hollywood stars in the hall closely watched the fight: Bruce Willis, Charlize Theron, Bradley Cooper, William Macy, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Chris Hemsworth, music producer and singer P. Diddy, basketball player LeBron James, world boxing star Mike Tyson
Prepared by Natalia TEREKH, FACTS
Photo by Getty Images
