Floyd Mayweather reportedly will earn about $300 million from boxing Conor McGregor last Saturday, but he wanted more. Prior to the fight, “Money” attempted to bring $400,000 in cash to the M Resort sportsbook in Las Vegas.
He wanted to bet on himself to win, by knockout, in less than 9.5 rounds, but the M Resort wouldn’t take his action.
“Earlier today, I went to bet $400,000, and they wouldn’t let me bet at a casino that I went to because they said I was the promoter,” Mayweather told ESPN in a post-fight interview.
“I guess they thought the fight was going to be a set-up. I’m not going to set up a fight for $400,000 when I’m making over $300 million.”
Mayweather said he attempted on the day of the fight to place a “modest” $400,000 bet at -200 odds that he would win by knockout in under 9.5 rounds. The wager would’ve returned a $200,000 profit.
Disappointed the casino wouldn’t take his money, Mayweather claimed he gave the cash to a friend, but said the M wouldn’t let the friend bet more than $87,000. The bet did pay off, as Mayweather scored the TKO less than halfway through the 10th round, booking a knockout for bettors with 24 seconds to spare.
While some boxing conspiracists say the timing could be more than a coincidence, respected analysts contend it could also show just how in-control of the fight Mayweather really was.
Too Quick to Call?
Referee Robert Byrd stopped the fight in the 10th round after it appeared McGregor was defenseless and taking punch after punch. But some have criticized the referee’s decision.
McGregor, in the post-fight press conference, gave Mayweather credit and didn’t bash Byrd, but said he would’ve liked the opportunity to make it to the 11th round to see if he could have won the fight. Most boxing experts, however, agreed that McGregor was “finished,” and that the referee had to stop the fight to avoid inflicting long-term damage on McGregor’s skull.
“At that moment, what’s most important is Conor was protected from himself,” said ESPN’s longtime boxing analyst Max Kellerman.
“The 10th round of a fight that was no longer competitive, where the end was guaranteed to end the same way eventually, the only difference is he’s on his back and now everyone is satisfied.”
Betting Futures
Mayweather is no stranger to carrying bags of cash to the sportsbook. The undefeated boxing champ and Las Vegas local on many occasions has flaunted six-figure betting slips on social media.
In October 2012, he placed a $1.1 million bet on the Oregon Ducks to cover a 7.5-point spread in a regular season college football game. He won that bet. Two years later, he put down $815,000 on an NFL game to collect more than $1.4 million.
Mayweather is the first boxer to go 50-0 for his career. After the fight, he promised to never step into the ring again as a boxer.
McGregor’s fighting future remains less certain. He could go back to the UFC and challenge Nate Diaz for a third time, or give boxing another shot.
Whichever path McGregor ends up taking, a retired Mayweather should have an easier time betting on the outcome of his next fight.
