Smiles all around after big fight

LAS VEGAS — Conor McGregor was drinking Irish whiskey and acting like he had won. Floyd Mayweather Jr. was reminiscing about his early days as a fighter and looking forward to a different kind of business at his strip club.

There were smiles all around, and with good reason. They pulled off an audacious gamble Saturday night, and all that was left to do was to count the money rolling in.

Mayweather estimated his take at $300-350 million. McGregor said he likely would clear $100 million, and said he had his accountants on speed dial to make sure it was all collected.

Fans of both boxing and mixed martial arts had to be happy, too. They got a reasonably entertaining fight that settled nothing about the two sports but embarrassed neither fighter.

They go their separate ways now, after a fight that had a little something for everyone. Mayweather won by battering McGregor around late until it was stopped in the 10th round, but in reality McGregor was a big winner too.

He was reasonably competent as a boxer in his first pro fight. He actually controlled the first few rounds, and was never off his feet despite taking a beating in the late rounds.

Mayweather eventually figured him out, and exposed him for the boxing novice he was. McGregor didn’t become king of boxing like he predicted before the fight, but he won millions of new fans and will now likely return to the UFC as its unquestioned star.