We are roughly five weeks away from the Floyd Mayweather Jr. versus Conor McGregor Pay-Per-View blockbuster set for August 26th, and the pair spent last week engaging in a four-city, three-country press tour that took them to Los Angeles, Toronto, New York and London. Mayweather Jr. and McGregor came face-to-face for four days in a row, and they drew thousands of fans at each stop. What do you get when you cross a press conference with a circus and inject it all with a heaping pile of shamelessness? You get these Mayweather Jr. vs. McGregor press conferences.
When the fight opened in late June, Several Bookmakers responded immediately, and the line came in around -900 for Mayweather Jr., with McGregor returning at +600. Most experts felt the line was not a true reflection of the fight, as normal, day-to-day boxing odds usually feature odds that hit four figures, and that is between two professional boxers. How could McGregor have his line set at a mere +600 if he has never stepped into a professional boxing ring before? But looking at the lines after the press tour — where McGregor’s dominant personality showed itself — the Irishman known as “The Notorious One” is actually getting money coming in on him, as his kickback is now “down” to +520.
The Showtime team of Mauro Ranalo, Paulie Malignaggi and Brendan Schaub lacked the polish of teams that had worked together, but they did a terrific job of “selling” the fight. McGregor is an extraordinary salesman and personality, and Mayweather Jr. has settled into his role as the “heel” that everybody hates quite comfortably. Perhaps McGregor rubbed Mayweather Jr. the wrong way somewhere along the four-day hype train, but word surfaced that the two shared a private plane to travel to London for the last leg of the tour.
This fight is being compared to the Super Bowl, and it actually most resembles the halftime show. Everything about the 15-minute musical performance you see at the Super Bowl is contrived and pre-planned, down to the few thousand people who feign “rocking out” to the concert being staged. Everything we are seeing between Mayweather Jr. and McGregor has that same shallow feeling. Let’s just hope that the circus-like atmosphere does not spill over into what is expected to be a competition. The latest odds from Several Bookmakers appear below…
T-Mobile Arena – Las Vegas, Nevada – Showtime PPV
Super Welterweight – 12 rounds
Conor McGregor +520 o9½ +150
Floyd Mayweather Jr -740 u9½ -170
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