CONOR MCGREGOR vs Floyd Mayweather fell short of the US pay-per-view record as well as the richest gate receipt.
The two professional hype machines worked the world into a frenzy for their cross-sport spectacle but they look set to fall around 200,000 short of the 4.6m record Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao made.
In the UK, where the Irishman is a huge star - it was a different story, with the much-hyped encounter breaking new ground with more than one million punters splashing out despite the anti-social start time in the early hours of the morning.
The fight even knocked Anthony Joshua's epic encounter with Wladimir Klitschko off top spot.
The undefeated boxer is expected to have made £155m and around £19m of that has already gone on a Beverly Hills mansion complete with luxury cinema and sweet shop.
The Notorious One is anticipated to earn £58m but a chunk of that change will have gone to the UFC who allowed him to step across into boxing while under their strict contract.
The Money Man has now retired again - on 50-0 milestone that surpasses Rocky Marciano.
The Irishman's next move is not yet known as he weighs up both the combat sport and potential opponent of choice for his next pay day.
most read in mma
🥊 Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev - Betting tips 🥊
Anthony Joshua defends his heavyweight titles against mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev on October 28 - here's our view on the fight...
- DIAMOND - AJ to win by KO, TKO or DQ in the First Round: "AJ is known for his devastating power and boasts an astonishing 100 per cent knockout record." (10/1 - add to your betslip)
- NEXT BEST - Joshua to win by KO, TKO or DQ in the Seventh Round: "Pulev is experienced and may hold his own for the first half of the fight." (8/1 - add to your betslip)
- LONG-SHOT - Pulev to win KO, TKO or DQ: "He's a massive underdog but heavyweight fights throw up a shock every once in a while." (12/1 - add to you betslip)
McGregor now has a grudge fight with Paulie Malignaggi ready and waiting for him, if he decides to return to the boxing ring.
And he is still the money fight across the feather and lightweight divisions and has even been mentioned as a potential co-owner of the MMA brand.
Mayweather promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe insisted in the build-up to the Las Vegas that all records would be smashed.
But it was clear from inside the venue, where around 5,000 of the seats inside the 20,000 capacity spot remained empty, that they were falling short.
And Ellerbe admitted after the fight that mistakes might have been made.
He said: “Sometimes it is all about delivery. It was a great event with a wonderful turnout.
“We don’t always get it right. We get it right more often than not, though.”
“We are in good shape. I am confident we are in good shape.
“I am not really ready to commit to talking about that until we dig down and see what the numbers are.”
Leave a comment