The Fight of the Century is on: Boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. (49-0) will meet UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor (21-3 MMA) on Saturday, August 26, 2017 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight card will air live on pay-per-view starting 10 p.m. ET. Bet on the latest odds and get insider betting tips now.
In May 2015, the superfight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao shattered the previous pay-per-view buys record of 2.2 million, doubling it to the tune of 4.4 million buys. It was supposed to be a once-in-a-generation type superfight, but there are a lot of people who seem to think that Mayweather vs. McGregor will be even bigger.
In fact, the boxing odds at BookMaker.eu let you bet on whether the fight will break the record for pay-per-view buys. You can find it in the “Special Prop Bets” section under Mayweather vs. McGregor. Let’s take a look a deeper look at the money lines and dig into some context to make a pick.
Boxing Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Will the Fight Break the 4.4M PPV Buys Record?
Yes -275
No +220
Reading Between the Money Lines
First thing to remember: This isn’t an over/under bet - it’s a simple “Yes” or “No” question. The total is 4.4 million buys, and buy numbers are reported in tenths. So a winning “yes” bet would require a minimum of 4.5 million buys. Anything under that, including 4.4 million, falls under “No”.
The fact that “Yes” is nearly a 3-1 chalk bet indicates that oddsmakers are greatly favoring this to be the highest-selling fight of all time. The question is whether this fight has more hype than Mayweather-Pacquiao, which took more than five years to finally come together and required two generational talents to rise in the same weight class at the same time.
But McGregor is so much better at promoting a fight, and the boxing vs. MMA angle is something we’ve never seen before at this level. Both men are so polarizing that millions will tune in just to see a guy they hate lose. There’s also the historical aspect of Mayweather attempting to become the first boxer to go 50-0, against a man that is 0-0.
Most signs point to “Yes” being the correct choice, but there’s been one major recent development that might warrant an underdog play: there are tons of live tickets still available for the Las Vegas showdown. For reference, the September superfight between Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez has been sold out for months.
But that’s not enough evidence to warrant an underdog play yet. While it could be a sign that people aren’t that interested in the matchup, the more likely cause is that tickets were ridiculously overpriced to begin with. The cheapest tickets available tickets start around $1700, with floor seats going up to $150,000.
You’d have to be a 1-percenter to watch this live, but the pay-per-view will be around the same price as the Pacquiao scrap - low ticket sales should have no effect on the pay-per-view buys. The hype is real: take the “Yes” answer on this prop bet.
Bet on boxing odds at BookMaker.eu now
With the boxing odds at BookMaker Sportsbook, you can bet on boxing all year, from smaller cards to pay-per-view events. Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook. Mayweather vs. McGregor takes place on Saturday, August 26, 2017 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight card will air live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET.
