What time is Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor today, where can I watch it and what are the odds? Full fight preview
Odds, records, rules, TV information, tickets and more. Here’s everything you need to know about the must-see fight on August 26
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Your support makes all the difference.For months, it seemed as though Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor was the fight that would never happen. But now, this year’s Fight of the Century is less than a week away.
Although Mayweather is the overwhelming favourite to win the contest at the T-Mobile Arena, McGregor’s braggadocio has seen him dominate the vast majority of the pre-fight headlines, and odds on the Irishman have shortened in recent weeks.
Can he actually do it? A McGregor victory would be one of the greatest sporting upsets in recent memory, but few pundits are willing to stick their neck and tip him for victory.
Here’s all you need to know about the fight on August 26.
What time is it?
The fight takes place on Saturday 26 August if you live in the United States. If you’re a Brit, you’re going to have to stay up into the early hours of Sunday morning if you want to join in the fun.
As with all late-night boxing matches, it’s impossible to provide an exact time for when things get underway. But the Showtime PPV telecast will begin at 2am BST (6pm UTC).
That means Mayweather and McGregor will more than likely be in the ring sometime between 4-5am BST. It could even be fractionally later. It certainly won’t be any earlier.
Where will the fight take place?
The fight will take place at the T-Mobile Arena , located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada.
First opening its doors last year, the T-Mobile Arena can seat 20,000 people for boxing and MMA events, meaning it is fractionally larger than the neighbouring MGM Grand Garden Arena.
The T-Mobile Arena may be a relatively new venue but it has already staged a number of high-profile events. Boxing fans flocked there to watch contests including Canelo Álvarez vs. Amir Khan and Sergey Kovalev vs. Andre Ward; while UFC 202, 207, 209 and 2013 all took place at the Arena.
Next month, the venue will also stage Canelo Álvarez’ eagerly anticipated match-up with Gennady Golovkin.
Where can I watch it?
Sky Sports have won the rights to show the fight in the UK, and it will be available to watch on pay-per-view for £19.95 (or €24.95 if you live in the Republic of Ireland).
How do you order the fight? Either you can buy it online here, sort it out through your Sky box, or call 03442 410 888. If you're calling from the Republic of Ireland, it's: 0818 220 225.
Top tip: Don’t leave it until the last night to order the fight. 1). You’re missing out on all the build-up content Sky have produced and 2). There’s a chance something could go wrong with the order, as every man and his dog suddenly decides to tune in. Just sort it out nice and early, come on now.
Help! I don’t have Sky?
Don’t worry, with the Sky Sports Box Office app you can watch the fights live via your PC/ desktop computer/ Mac/ NOW TV box/ iPhone/ iPad/ Android phone/ Android tablet/ or pretty much anything else with a screen, not including your old Nokia 3310.
You can create an account and pay at www.skysports.com/boxofficelive.
What are the odds?
Mayweather is the favourite. And McGregor is the underdog. But then you already knew that, right?
For more information on the very latest odds, click this link, which will take you to a page being updated twice daily throughout fight week.
What are their records?
Mayweather boasts one of the finest records in the history of boxing. After 49 professional fights he has 49 victories, including 26 by knockout. In his 19 year professional career, he was only knocked to the canvas once – by Carlos Hernandez in 2001 – in a fight he won by a unanimous decision.
Mayweather, who was ranked by ESPN as the greatest pound for pound boxer of the last 25 years in 2016, needs just one more win to surpass Rocky Marciono’s flawless record of 49-0.
McGregor meanwhile boasts a professional record of 21-3 and a UFC record of 9-1. At UFC 194 he knocked out José Aldo in just 13 seconds to become the UFC Featherweight Champion, and at UFC 205 he knocked out Eddie Alvarez for the UFC Lightweight Championship, to become the first fighter in the history of the company to hold titles in two weight divisions simultaneously.
The Irishman has never been knocked out in his career – with his three professional defeats all coming via submission – and began boxing as a 12-year-old at Crumlin Boxing Club under two-time Olympian Phil Sutcliffe.
What are the rules?
This is a boxing match, so normal boxing rules apply.
This was confirmed very early on by Dana White, the president of the UFC. “It’s going to be straight up boxing,” he said when asked if the fight could be contested under hybrid rules.
There have been rumours that kicks below the waist could be allowed, or that the fight will take place in a cage rather than a ring, but there was never any chance of Mayweather agreeing to this.
And what happens if McGregor gets frustrated and attempts a spinning back kick to the head?
He would find himself in a lot of trouble. A lot of trouble.
How much will the fight make?
The fight will almost certainly be the most valuable fight of all-time. The fight is expected to gross almost 5million PPV buys, which would net a cash windfall of $475m. Sponsorship would likely top $20m, while the projected Nevada betting on the fight stands at $30m.
White has estimated that Mayweather will net up to $100m for the fight, with McGregor slated to earn around $75m. “He [Mayweather] feels like he’s the A-side and he should get more of it. But we haven’t really gotten into that negotiation yet,” White explained back in April.
The real reason that McGregor stands to earn substantially less than Mayweather is because McGregor is locked into his contract with the UFC, as Jake Cohen explains in this article. But this will still be the largest purse of McGregor’s career by a substantial distance.
Have MMA stars crossed over into boxing before? And what about boxers stepping into the cage?
You bet! Here’s a short (and very strange) history.
I have more questions!
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