Mayweather-McGregor
Saturday night’s fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor ended too late for this edition. Go to thestar.com for full coverage.
Mayweather, meanwhile, has featured in three cards that have generated more than 2 million buys. His career-defining 2007 win over Oscar De La Hoya earned a then-record 2.5 million buys, while his 2013 decision over Saul (Canelo) Alvarez drew 2.2 million. And, two years ago, Mayweather combined with Manny Pacquiao to sell a record 4.6 million payper-views.
But unlike that bout, Saturday’s fight has the UFC as a co-promoter, lending its marketing muscle and distribution expertise to this bigmoney project. In addition to home and sports bar pay-per-view, the bout will be streamed on a series of promoter-affiliated online platforms and screened at movie theatres.
Each of those sources of revenue flows into a pot that ultimately enriches the fighters.
It’s not yet clear whether McGregor’s contract entitles him to a portion of pay-per-view sales, but as the bout’s lead promoter, Mayweather Promotions receives the bulk of sponsorship, licensing and broadcast rights revenue.
When the Internal Revenue Service informed Mayweather earlier this summer that he owed $29 million, the boxer’s lawyers went to court to have the tax lien lifted, telling the judge Mayweather had a “liquid event” in August. How liquid? Mayweather recently told talk show host Jimmy Kimmel he would gross $350 million for this fight.
That’s a quarter-billion dollars on top of his guarantee, enough to pay his back taxes, and another reason they call the fighter — and this fight — Money.