For many, last month’s superfight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor exceeded expectations in regard to overall entertainment value. But there’s one area where it seems to have come up just short: Its ability to break the record of domestic pay-per-view purchases set at 4.6 million by the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight back in 2015.
With so much hype going into the fight, a new PPV record seemed like a sure bet. However, according to a report from BoxingScene.com, the cross-sport mega-fight between the boxing champ and UFC champ will fall just shy of the record, with an estimated domestic tally set at 4.4 million.
While the May-Mac fight likely won’t earn the top spot for PPV proceeds in the U.S., it can lay claim to the top spot in the United Kingdom, where Sky Sports reported (MMAFighting.com) that the fight set a new mark in the U.K. with more than 1 million buys.
It’s doubtful that falling short of the domestic PPV record is causing either fighter to lose sleep, considering both walked away with massive paydays for their brief work in the ring at T-Mobile Arena. And what’s a guy to do with all that money? Evidently, Mayweather sees purchasing a giant portrait of your opponent and hanging it in your Beverly Hills mansion as money well-spent. Makes sense, considering it was McGregor who enabled him to score a fat check.
Exclusive timeless artwork in my Beverly Hills home#BeverlyHills
No doubt social media is having a field day with this one. Is it a way of showing respect for the UFC fighter‘s ability to hang in there for 10 rounds with the undefeated boxing legend, or just another troll job by the champ looking to generate more buzz for his brand?
Based on recent comments from 50 Cent, it may be the latter. In an interview on Hot 97, the rapper didn’t mince words when asked about Mayweather’s true feelings toward McGregor. “He really didn’t like him,” 50 Cent said. Apparently, McGregor got under Mayweather’s skin by often touching his head during press conferences. Skip to the 38:50 mark to hear the rapper’s full take on the big fight.
