But as the dust settled on the ‘MayMac World Tour’ recently, I for one have had to make a u-turn on one of my initial thoughts.
I originally held the mindset that the Mayweather v McGregor would struggle to overhaul the 4.4m Pay-Per-View buys of the Manny Pacquiao fight in 2015.
Writing an article on the top 10 combat sports PPV’s of all time a while back (January 4 – you can read it here) was my first inkling that ‘MayMac’ had the pulling power to get somewhere near ‘MayPac’, although taking in the recent four-city press tour has convinced me over 5m buys is a distinct possibility.
The sheer scale of the build-up, coupled with the animosity and entertainment value both fighters bring to the table, means Mayweather v McGregor is on course to smash the record out of the water.
Pacquiao, for all his own fan worship and qualities in bringing more punters to the table, was never the character McGregor is, which saw Mayweather struggle to duel with the Filipino as they attempted to drum up support.
This left the casual fans in no doubt about their decision not to purchase, which is in far contrast to what ‘The Notorious’ offers for the August 26 showdown.
Not only the UFC world, but the entire MMA universe will be behind McGregor, whilst the boxing fraternity will be tuning in to make sure Mayweather does what many are predicting.
Early estimates on the back of the tour are that they fight could push towards 10m buys, a strong statement since it took so long to smash 3 and 4m with the Pacquiao fight.
But whatever the case, I don’t mind admitting my initial thoughts were wrong and I firmly believe Mayweather v McGregor will take over as the most lucrative fight to ever take place.
Mayweather looks on course to potentially take home half a billion dollars, whilst McGregor will completely obliterate any earnings by an MMA representative and could hold that honor for some time to come.
Phil Jay is Editor of World Boxing News. Follow on Twitter @PhilDJay
