Floyd Mayweather’s Las Vegas super-fight with Conor McGregor is now less than two weeks away and it’s poised to become one of the most lucrative contests in history.
The contest has dominated the sporting headlines worldwide and has fight fans counting down the days until August 26 – but not everybody from the boxing world is happy with the bout.
A number of high-profile personalities from the sport have attacked the fight, claiming that it diminishes Mayweather’s legacy and is bad for boxing’s image.
But there is of course one key reason for why both Mayweather and McGregor have agreed to meet one another in the ring: money.
The fight stands to become the most lucrative in the history of combat sports, with both men expected to earn over $100m for agreeing to the bout.
But what is the estimated fight purse? What will the split be? And how much is the contest likely to make though PPV (pay-per-view) sales?
Here, we tell you everything you need to know about the most lucrative fight in history.
What is the estimated fight purse?
Estimates vary, and largely depend on whether the fight meets its PPV targets or not. But after an explosive, controversial and — ultimately — successful four-stop promotional tour, that is beginning to look like a given.
The total figure depends more on the PPV sales, however. Ticket sales also need to be factored in, as well as how much sponsorship is sold for.
But, if the PPV stays roughly in line with the Mayweather v Pacquaio fight, the fight purse is likely to be worth around $390m (£300m). Total revenues are meanwhile expected to exceed $500m (£390m).
What will the split be?
We’ll never know! The two men signed a confidentiality agreement when they signed their contracts, meaning the exact split will not be revealed.
We know that Mayweather is getting more however, with estimates ranging in the 70-75% region.
When Dana White spoke in April, he (understandably) predicted Mayweather would make a lot less. “If the fight sells as well as I think it can, Floyd makes a little north of $100 million and Conor makes $75 million,” White said.
“He (Mayweather) feels like he’s the A-side and he should get more of it.”
That seems a conservative guess: when Mayweather defeat Pacquaio he waltzed off into the sunset with a $240m pay-cheque, according to Forbes. His earnings for this fight will surely exceed that.
How much will the fight make through PPV?
The PPV sales for Mayweather v Pacquaio made an extraordinary $455m. Expect this fight to surpass that.
The PPV price in the States is hefty: the standard definition purchase of the August 26 fight from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas will set fans back $89.95, with the high-definition version costing $99.95.
It’s currently predicted that Mayweather v McGregor will attract just under 5 million buys, which would see the total PPV sales at a figure in the region of $475m.
How much will the tickets make?
The fight will be held at the 20,000-capacity T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas — and tickets don’t come cheap.
The total ticket receipts for the Mayweather v Pacquiao fight totalled $79.1m (£61m). 16,219 tickets were sold at the MGM Arena — which is slightly smaller than the T-Mobile Arena — at an average price of $4,451 (£3419) each. Each!
Expect the Mayweather v McGregor fight to gross a very similar amount. The fight doesn’t have the sporting pedigree of the Pacquiao fight, but it does have the novelty factor. And novelty sells in Paradise, Nevada.
Any other business?
The asking price for the title sponsor of this fight has already been set, at a cool $10m (£7.7m). That amount would almost double the current record for boxing’s largest single-fight sponsorship which was — you guessed it — Mayweather v Pacquaio. Tecate paid $5.6m (£4.3m) to sponsor that one.
All in all, this fight can expect to attract more money from sponsors than the Pacquaio bout. Don’t be surprised if the fight attracts almost $25m (£19m) in support.
And then there’s the merchandise. ESPN predicts that the fight could rake in another $2m (£1.5m) through merch alone, thanks to the popularity of the two men.
