The big money behind Mayweather-McGregor bout

Floyd Mayweather Jr and Conor McGregor’s bout of the year is just around the corner and the purse has gained more weight.

The two will not just be fighting for their share of millions in revenue, but also for a special prize created by the World Boxing Council.

The 69kg Money Belt was revealed by WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman last weekend as a special prize for the winner and not for any real WBC championship.

The WBC also created a similarly shiny monstrosity for Mayweather's 2015 bout with Manny Pacquiao. 

Mayweather was a longtime WBC champion before his retirement.

Tens of millions worldwide are expected to tune in, with promoters claiming it will be available either online or on a TV screen to more than 1 billion homes in 200 countries.

In the United States alone, a staggering 50 million people are expected to watch the highly anticipated fight.

Pay-Per-View Purse

Saturday night’s fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas will only be available to Pay-Per-View (PPV) customers.

This is where a bulk of the boxers' earnings will come from, with the rest from ticket sales and sponsors.

There is one main broadcaster who has sole rights to screen the fight - Showtime Sports in the US.

Sub-rights will then be sold off to other PPV broadcasters around the world by Showtime.

The main broadcaster is also selling off special subscription packages to viewers in the US as ticket sales have been low in Las Vegas largely because of astronomical prices.

The fight has become a must-see on TV, at a price of $99.95 on Showtime for US customers, while other sub-rights holders are also selling special packages to their viewers around the world.

Each PPV sale means more money in the wallets of both fighters. 

Sponsors

According to The Telegraph, Mayweather will earn around $25 million through sponsorship and branding from just his shorts, robe and caps.

This is before even one punch is thrown.

The entire arena, ring, seating, referee and press conferences will be cloaked by big spending sponsors.

It is estimated that McGregor, a novice boxer but UFC champion, will make around $10 million from sponsors.

Tickets

There are plenty of tickets left in the 20,000 capacity arena itself, where prices originally ranged from $2,500 in the upper sections to $10,000 at ringside. 

Ticket prices have been dropping in the resale market with some available for less than $1,300 on Tuesday, and are expected to decline more in the days before the fight.

An early indication of interest in the fight is the massive betting both in Nevada and in other places where it is legal. 

Bookmakers say it will be the biggest bet fight ever, with an overwhelming number of the early tickets on McGregor to pull an upset.

Though estimates vary widely, Mayweather is expected to bank a total of around $400 million, while McGregor will likely pocket at least $100 million.

In Turkey,  the fight will be broadcast live on Sunday morning at 6am on PPV channel, S Sport.