Boxing Odds: McGregor Remains Popular Pick vs. Mayweather

At some point, the big money will come in on Floyd Mayweather Jr. for his August 26 boxing match with UFC Lightweight champion Conor McGregor. But for now, the popular Irishman is pulling in most of the action; his odds have tightened another notch to +325 at press time, leaving the undefeated Mayweather at –450.

The last time Mayweather (49-0, 26 KOs) was in the squared circle, he was a –3000 favorite in the days leading up to his September 2015 match with Andre Berto, the former two-time welterweight champion. Mayweather dominated that contest and won by unanimous decision, landing 232 punches to Berto’s 83. McGregor has never fought professionally as a boxer, although he did grow up practicing the sport before switching full-time to MMA by age 16.

Interest in Mayweather vs. McGregor is being driven mostly by UFC fans, who are naturally inclined to bet on their champion. The full card for August 26 is being presented like a UFC event, with four preliminary bouts shown for free on FOX (7 PM ET), and four fights on the Showtime PPV (9 PM ET). The total for PPV buys is 4.99 million with the over pegged at –210.

Boxing Odds: McGregor Still the Preferred Pick vs. Mayweather

How low can Conor McGregor’s odds go? At press time, the UFC Lightweight champion is available at +325 for his August 26 boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr., down from +375 last week and +900 when speculative odds first hit the board back in May 2016. Mayweather is –450 at press time.

Mayweather (49-0, 26 KOs) was a –3000 favorite leading up to his September 2015 title fight with former two-time welterweight champion Andre Berto. McGregor has never fought professionally in the squared circle; he’s 21-3 in mixed martial arts (9-1 in the UFC) with 18 knockouts.