Frampton: Fight is not bad for boxing
Frampton says he is is excited about flying out from Northern Ireland to Las Vegas to watch the McGregor-Mayweather fight.
I think Conor’s brilliant. He’s a showman, he’s mental and he’s a maniac. I really like him and I’m going out to watch it with some of the others [fighters] from our gym, like Josh Taylor, Conrad Cummings and our wives. We’re going out for a mad weekend…I don’t think the fight is bad for boxing, it’s an event, and I’m looking forward to it. As a boxing match, it’s a mismatch but you have to give it to Conor McGregor. He’s making his boxing debut and he’s talked himself into a $100 million pay day. Good luck to him…I hate saying who’s going to win but it’s hard to look past Mayweather, he’s just too good.
Mayweather may ‘walk out’ with Diaz, but not Bieber
Jason Lee, from Mayweather’s entourage, says Mayweather may be walking out with Diaz at the upcoming fight. McGregor lost to Diaz in March of 2016, then beat him in UFC 202, in August 2016.
I was just in London with Floyd when the whole shit went down with Conor and I’m going to make the call to Nate Diaz. I would love to see him walk out with Floyd.
Mayweather has walked out to the ring a number of times with Justin Bieber, but Lee says he doesn’t think Bieber will be there this time.
Bieber found Jesus and he’s somewhere prayed-up. I don’t officially want to say that [Bieber will not walk out with Floyd]. But I just want to say I don’t see Bieber walking out with Floyd.
Nevada punter places $150K for McGregor to beat Mayweather
Bookmakers are reporting large bets coming in for McGregor, which are improving his odds. For example, a Nevada bet was placed for $150,000 for McGregor to win. McGregor is now running at a low of +375 while Mayweather’s favorite status has dipped to -550 (84% win probability). When odds opened for the fight, Mayweather was widely available as a -2250 favorite, which implies a win probability of 96 percent over +950 underdog McGregor. At those initial lines, a $100 winning bet on Mayweather would receive a $4.44 payoff; a $100 bet on McGregor, meanwhile, would have a payoff of $950. Reports indicate that many bets in McGregor’s favor are being placed by casual betters:
At Caesars Palace sportsbooks, 140 of the first 144 bets were on McGregor, who was paying back around 5-1. Almost all of the early action was small and placed by recreational bettors. One sportsbook manager described it as ‘square-a-palooza.’
A bettor in Nevada placed $150,000 today on Conor McGregor to beat Floyd at a @WilliamHillUS sports book. If Conor wins, he'll net $662,500.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) July 24, 2017
Conlan: McGregor’s self-belief gives him chance to win
Conlan says that McGregor’s self-belief can be a decisive factor in his upcoming fight against Mayweather.
He’s definitely got ability. He’s a guy who believes in himself 100 million percent. Floyd Mayweather has been impossible to beat. No matter who it is, no matter what sport it is, if someone believes in themselves that much, there’s always a possibility, always a chance. Anything can happen in boxing…That’s the kind of mentality I try to replicate.
McGregor-Mayweather tickets sell out in minutes
Unhappy fans take to social media to complain that McGregor-Mayweather tickets sell out in minutes, despite some tickets costing as much as £8000. Fans rushed to grab their tickets for the 20,000-capacity T-Mobile Arena at 6pm UK time, but many were not able to get tickets, even if they had ‘right to buy codes,’ which had been trading on Ebay for up to £200 in the morning.
I had a code. No tickets available. Isubmitted at 1pm sharp. Did the screen refresh, thought i timed it perfectly. nothing
— DT Weis (@dweis108) July 24, 2017
Jones: McGregor can’t beat Mayweather
Jones says that, despite his admiration for McGregor, he doesn’t think the Irishman can beat Mayweather.
I really admire Conor McGregor a lot. He’s been a huge inspiration to me. But I’m also a fan of greatness – and Floyd Mayweather is unquestionably great. He’s 40 but Floyd takes care of himself, he’s been living a clean life, you’d be surprised what you can get out of yourself when you live the way Floyd does – he has all the resources to stay healthy and on top of his game. Miguel Cotto and Oscar De La Hoya, all these guys have tremendous punching power. But what they have that McGregor doesn’t is the years of experience and tightness to back up that punching power. I’m really happy for McGregor to be in this position but if I were a betting man, I’d imagine that you’d just have to side on the side of greatness.
Tyson: McGregor ‘is going to get killed’ boxing Mayweather
Tyson says McGregor will not be able to beat Mayweather under boxing rules. Tyson said that if it were him in the fight with McGregor, he would allow the Irishman to use kicks and knees in the fight.
McGregor is going to get killed boxing. I got mad because I thought they were going to use MMA rules against boxing because that’s what it’s all about: Can the boxer beat the MMA guy? McConor put his dumb–s in a position where he’s gonna get knocked out because this guy’s been doing this all his life since he was a baby. McConor can’t kick and grab and stuff so he won’t stand much of a chance…McGregor took the biggest sucker rules in the history of boxing.
Mayweather: ‘Not going to be a dull fight’
Mayweather, who has been spending time training with Anthony Joshua in Vegas, says that he and McGregor are both preparing for the fight in the same way, and fans can expect an exciting battle.
There has been a lot of trash-talkers [through his career], and at the end of the day, he’s not bad. We will rate him number two and I’m number one – he’s got heart… Am I worried about an elbow or knee? I’m going to let the referee do his job, he will be extremely fair but firm. Nevada Commission is about treating everybody fair… He’s a warrior, that’s what I do know about Conor McGregor. He’s going to fight to the end. He’s approaching this fight like I’m approaching this fight. It’s kill or be killed. Believe me when I say this: It’s not going to be a dull fight.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BW5xYvKDmZu/
McGregor-Mayweather tickets on sale
Tickets for the McGregor-Mayweather fight go on sale at 6 PM BST (1 pm ET and 10 AM PT) and can be purchased through this link here. In an attempt to stop touts from snapping up multiple tickets, only two seats can be purchased per transaction. The cheapest ticket will cost £385 ($500). Those wanting a front-row seat will have to fork out £7706 ($10,000). Fans who miss out on the initial sale will be able to purchase tickets via licensed third party resale websites.
Doubt Me Now documentary release
BT Sport releases the full Doubt Me Now documentary, which follows the build-up ahead of the McGregor-Mayweather fight, including interviews and analysis.
White talks fight to Kimmel
White appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live to talk about the upcoming fight. Kimmel asks if he thinks Conor has a chance at all to beat Floyd Mayweather.
White:
I do…Floyd Mayweather is going to be 41 years old this year. If there’s a kink in that armour, it has been with southpaws. Conor McGregor is a southpaw, and he hits like a truck. He’s got 12 rounds to land that punch…When he hits people they go, and if he hits Floyd, I think he will hurt him, and when he hurts people he puts them away.
Kimmel:
Is this like a cricket team trying to win the World Series?
White:
No, normally, when boxers fight boxers, there’s a system to it. McGregor will be completely unorthodox. It’s what makes this fight so intriguing.
Alvarez will be in the front row for McGregor-Mayweather
Alvarez says that he watched all four of the stops on the McGregor-Mayweather world press tour and has booked a front row ticket to the August 26th clash.
I love fights and when they have this much build-up around them. I’m going to the fight – I’ll be there, front row. A buddy, who sold me his house, got me front row seats. We’ll be there.
On McGregor’s chances:
Conor has about three or four rounds to get this done. Within those [first] four rounds, if you don’t think Conor can knock this guy out, you’re an idiot or you just don’t know fighting because it can very well happen.
On his loss to McGregor:
I never really get annoyed with [that UFC 205 loss] myself. I’ve dealt with it, forgave myself for it and I have moved on.
McGregor nutritionist wants speed over power
Lockhart, who is working for McGregor in preparation for his fight with Mayweather, says nutritional tweaks are necessary going from one sport to the other, with the prominent change being a reduction in walking around weight.
With an MMA match, wrestling, (jiu-jitsu and) having someone on top of you, weight matters – with wrestling it does have a huge effect. With boxing, I believe speed is key. If I’m bigger than you but can’t hit you, it doesn’t make a whole lot of difference. Not as much grappling, the referee pulls you apart as soon as that does happen. I want to make sure the fighter is lower in weight, the cut is not as big and the reload is not as much…For an MMA fighter to reload, they’ll gain 15, 18 pounds, which gives them that advantage (on fight night). [For] boxing, I want him actually walking in close to weight the week of the fight. Walking in, weighing in and maybe gaining a couple pounds after that.
McGregor-Mayweather ticket registration closes July 20 10pm PT
Tickets for the McGregor Mayweather fight will go on sale Monday, July 24 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT. To reduce the impact of bots and scalpers, the tickets will be sold through the Ticketmaster Verified Fan program which gives registered fans a unique offer code and link to use when purchasing tickets. Only fans who receive a unique code will have the chance to purchase tickets on a first-come, first-served basis, limited to two tickets per offer code. Registration closes on Thursday, July 20 at 10 p.m. PT. Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions.
It is vital that we provide our fans with a fair opportunity to purchase tickets to this unprecedented event taking place on August 26 between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor. This is a fight derived from the fans and should be available to be enjoyed by fans. It was necessary for us to partner with Ticketmaster Verified Fan for an event at this magnitude to provide everyone with a safe worry-free method to purchase tickets.
4 Days, 4 Cities behind-the-scenes video
The Mac Life releases a behind the scenes video of the McGregor-Mayweather tour, called 4 Days, 4 Nights. It follows the tour from McGregor’s arrival in LA through to the London press conference.
Let’s see what he says on the 26th. I’ll be sitting there with a nice big grin on my face, as the new king of boxing.
‘All Access’ trailer release
A trailer for the four-part Showtime McGregor-Mayweather behind-the-scenes series is released. McGregor:
I don’t give a f-ck. I’m going to storm on that stage.
showtime
McGregor-Mayweather betting to surpass Superbowl
A sports book manager at Bovada.lv says the McGregor-Mayweather fight is trending to surpass the money laid down on this year’s Superbowl. McGregor’s odds to win have halved since the fight was announced, though Mayweather still remains the bookie’s favourite.
We knew this fight would be big, potentially even bigger than the Super Bowl, but now we are almost certain it will be. The recent trash talking and promotional tour is only encouraging bets and at this rate we cannot even imagine how much we will take on it. One thing is for sure though, we will need Mayweather huge. A McGregor early round KO as he promised would be a potential disaster and is partly a reason we are giving a great price on Mayweather at the moment.
Nelson: Age could catch up with Mayweather
Former world cruiser-weight champion, Johnny Nelson, says Mayweather’s age could catch up with him against a ‘hungry’ McGregor.
Floyd Mayweather is 40 years old. He’s been out of the ring for a while. I know he’s top tier, we’re thinking there’s no chance this guy [will lose], but Conor McGregor is very fast individual, he’s got power in both hands. We want to see how age has affected Floyd Mayweather. In my head, Floyd does it hands down, but let’s not forget he’s in there against a 29-year-old hungry man that can hit, that’s fast and that wants it. So it is not a done deal…Guys that come from mixed martial arts, if you’re top level, you will blitz everybody until you come against someone who is technically supreme at boxing because your defence is too open. You saw this with Wladimir and Vitaly Klitschko. When they first came into boxing, especially Wladimir, he was getting knocked out, pick-pocketed, especially when he came against class fighters…They’ve got to tighten up a bit, change the balance, change the positioning. But fitness is second to none.
McGregor and Mayweather kissing mural unveiled
Lushsux, an artist from Melbourne, Australia, unveils a street art mural in Vienna of McGregor and Mayweather kissing.
Kiss me…I’m Irish
Danis: I really think Conor’s going to knock him out
Danis says McGregor will knock out Mayweather.
I’m telling you, he’s really going to knock him out. I really think it’s going to be a bad mismatch, I swear to God. I feel it. If you look at Mayweather: he’s in the strip club every night, he’s at a basketball game, he’s doing all this stuff. He’s not really focused, man. A lot of people don’t understand about Conor; he takes notes after every training session. He goes home and watches the tape, takes notes and literally.. it’s different for him. For Mayweather this is a sport, for us this is a lifestyle. Mayweather’s not a martial artist, so Conor is a different level from him.
