It has long been the dream of all fans of MMA and Boxing to see the top boxer and top fighter in the world go head to head. For the longest time, it seems as if the stars were lining up to bring the fight of the century to life. With the sudden emergence of Conor McGregor at the top of the UFC, he seemed in prime position to fight perhaps the greatest boxer of all time Floyd Mayweather. Both parties seemed willing to make the fight happen after McGregor made UFC history by holding the Featherweight and Lightweight Championships simultaneously. However even after talks heated up earlier this week, the chances of this fight seem bleak.
On Wednesday, Mayweather appeared on ESPN First Take where he was asked if he wanted to make the fight with Conor happen. Floyd responded by saying he wants to make the fight happen, but at his price. He then went on to say that McGregor’s team and Dana White are aware of want Mayweather wants. According to Mayweather, he wants a whopping $100 million up front, and is only willing to give Conor McGregor $15 million up front. This is all before negotiating percentages on the pay per view and ticket revenue.
The number of $100 million up front seems ridiculous at face value, however Mayweather is citing the fact that he has made that money before as the reason he should not be paid less to fight Conor. He also claimed the current Lightweight Champion has never made $10 million for one fight. UFC Promoter Dana White responded the next day on Fox Sports 1’s The Herd, quickly debunking Floyd’s claim that McGregor has not made more than $10 million for a fight. White then extended an offer of $25 million each for Mayweather and McGregor, which was reportedly laughed at by the boxing champion.
There are many reasons that both parties seem to be worlds apart in terms of negotiating. One of which is the fact that White wants the fight to part of an entire UFC card to bring in the entire UFC audience, which Mayweather probably would not like as it takes away his leverage to negotiate pay per view revenue as he wouldn’t necessarily be the main draw on a stacked UFC card. Another is the fact that both men are using separate logic to dictate the payout each should receive. Mayweather is citing his biggest payday as a reason why he shouldn’t get less than $100 million, however White is citing the fact that Mayweather’s last fight only brought in 550,000 pay per view buys, equivalent to just over $36 million in pay per view revenue. McGregor on the other hand, main evented UFC 202 which brought in $100 million in pay per view revenue.
The biggest reason for the unlikeliness of this fight happening, is the uncharacteristic silence of Conor McGregor. While he is currently taking time off for the upcoming birth of his child, it is not like him to be quiet on something like this. He has given the impression that he is willing to do the fight, but couldn’t care less whether or not it happens. Which has effectively put the ball in Floyd’s court, but his recent demands have made it seem he is looking for too much. With Mayweather and White’s offers being $75 million apart, and McGregor’s indifference, it appears unlikely that we will see these men fight in the near future if ever.
