Floyd Mayweather is favourite to beat Conor McGregor

Floyd Mayweather v Conor McGregor predictions & odds: Who is favourite to win and what other betting markets are there?

Boxing

Fri August 25, 2017 · 7y ago

The latest predictions and odds ahead of Floyd Mayweather v Conor McGregor in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

Undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather is Sky Bet's odds-on favourite to win Saturday night's huge showdown in Las Vegas at 1/4 but most of the money has been piling in for UFC star Conor McGregor to cause an upset, forcing his odds to be cut to 3/1 - and you can click here to find out why.

Almost everyone has an opinion on MayMac - whether it's from the world of boxing, wider sport, showbiz or you, the punter.

So here's a selection of big-fight predictions while we also provide a whole range of Sky Bet odds below...

Ricky Hatton

''It would a huge blow for the sport of boxing if Floyd were to lose.

''In my eyes boxing and UFC are two completely different sports so if the number one fighter from their sport beats the number one fighter in our sport then that would not be good going forward.

''In terms of popularity, UFC has probably caught boxing up and it's growing all the time. It would go through the roof if Conor were to pull this off.''

Ricky Hatton on Floyd Mayweather's defensive skills

Lennox Lewis

"You are talking about one discipline where you can use only your hands and only a few can do it. Every battle sport starts with your hands but they are two totally different sports.

"Floyd will stop him. He's just too good at boxing for McGregor and McGregor is too inexperienced at boxing. He can't use his other styles." (Mayweather to win by unanimous decision and no knock downs in the fight - 6/1)

Chris Eubank Jnr

"McGregor's got it all to do on the night. Mayweather's in just as good a shape as he was against Maidana, and when I watched him train for Pacquiao.

"I don't see any real difference in his preparation, his fitness. He's not taking this lightly. McGregor doesn't have a professional fight but I don't believe that's in Floyd's mind, he's going in there like this is going to be one of his toughest fights.”

Mike Tyson

"Conor's not skilled enough to box with Floyd. If he fought UFC and then Floyd boxed, then that would be more exciting. Then we'd see how floyd deals with kicks to the leg, but Conor's not a boxer." (Eye Sport Dubai)

Anthony Joshua

"It's probably (going to be) a landslide.

"Look at the great fighters Mayweather's fought, and he's made them look average. Some of the fighters Mayweather's fought would probably beat Conor McGregor as well; Conor can't really compete.

"He's coming out of his field and going into Mayweather's domain. Even though he's an excellent fighter in UFC, he's not an excellent boxer. Him crossing over is going to be a real, big challenge.(Mayweather by unanimous decision - 5/2)

Floyd Mayweather Senior

Ricky Burns

"I just don't see how he [McGregor] is going to get by Mayweather.

"He's [Mayweather] one of the best fighters out there. If you look at the guys that Mayweather has fought, hardly any of them could lay a glove on him."

Andre Ward

"I think McGregor will be wild for the first three rounds, but when he starts to fire, Floyd will then take over and we could see a big knockout. Floyd Mayweather has put on shows for the best part of two decades, so he deserves to do whatever he wants and this isn't a sideshow, it's a massive event."

Tyson Fury

"I think Conor McGregor will knock him out in the first 35 seconds, like he did to Jose Aldo. I think he’ll do him inside one round. It would be good for boxing wouldn’t it, if McGregor chinned him?" (McGregor inside one round - 20/1)

Conor McGregor on 8oz gloves

Manny Pacquiao

"I can say Floyd Mayweather will win, because the fight is in boxing and not MMA and that’s an advantage with Floyd. I don’t think McGregor is comfortable in boxing, pure boxing."

Evander Holyfield

"He would have to rough him up. He'd have to do something that gets [Mayweather] frustrated and get into a battle. I think his only chance is getting into a battle." (TMZ)

Sylvester Stallone

"I really think Conor is a great fighter in his own right, especially in his own arena, but Mayweather will be facing first-degree murder charges.

"It wouldn’t even be fair. He’s such a good fighter, it would be slaughter. I know Conor McGregor is great and if he fought him (under MMA rules) it would be the reverse. Everyone has a speciality.”

Idris Elba

"I think that McGregor has a really good chance of winning that fight. Here’s why: I know it’s controversial, but I have a kickboxing background and the agility of kickboxers and MMA is very different from a boxer. I think what’s going to happen is Floyd - and I love Floyd, he’s a friend - he’s going to fight his fight but I think McGregor is going to topple that. He’s going to topple his composure, he’s going to throw some things around that Floyd’s not going to be used to.

"The other about McGregor is he can strike really, really, really quickly, out of nowhere. Whereas I think if Floyd does what he does normally, which is hold a tight fight, I think McGregor’s going to topple that, strike him and if he gets one on his chin, it could be over. Not a lot of people agree with me, but kickboxers move differently." (McGregor by KO/TKO or disqualification - 100/30)

Conor McGregor

Joe Cortez

"If (McGregor) was a good as he is in MMA he would definitely be a world champion, he's got all the ingredients to be an excellent, excellent fighter.

"He has a good punch and a lot of confidence in himself. His conditioning is superb, so you've got to give him a chance. Absolutely a good chance. He can punch, and he's not going to be afraid to go in there and mix it up if he has to.

"McGregor knows how to cut the ring, and get him in a corner. He can catch him and hurt him.

"(Mayweather's) 40 years old now, so he's not a young Mayweather anymore. In boxing we all know that you can get old overnight, so we'll have to see which Mayweather comes out."

If you fancy a flutter, Sky Bet have over 30 markets and a whole host RequestABet specials to get involved with so we've picked out a selection for fans of both fighters to check out...

(odds correct at 21/08/2017)

Method of Victory

Mayweather by KO/TKO/DQ - 8/11
Mayweather by decision - 9/4
McGregor by KO/TKO/DQ - 7/2
McGregor by decision - 25/1

Selections of specials

McGregor to land less than five punches in the fight - 13/2
Mayweather to be knocked down and win - 8/1
McGregor to be knocked down and win - 12/1
McGregor to be disqualified - 14/1
Both fighters to be knocked down & Mayweather win on points - 33/1
A rematch in the Octagon within a year - 49/1
McGregor to win in first 90 seconds of round 1 - 66/1
McGregor to be KO'ed in rds 5&6, Mayweather to win in rounds 7-9 - 80/1
McGregor to be DQ'ed in round 10 - 100/1

Fight to go the distance

Yes: 2/1
No: 4/11

Click here for more Sky Bet odds including round betting and more specials!

Story of the odds

When this money-spinning match-up was first mooted, Sky Bet originally priced up Floyd Mayweather as an overwhelming 1/33 favourite to extend his perfect professional boxing record to 50 wins against a man who would effectively be making his debut in the sport. Despite an explosive career in the Octagon of the UFC, Conor McGregor was regarded as a no-hoper at 10/1.

By the time the fight was finally confirmed back in May, the undefeated pound-for-pound king of boxing remained odds-on jolly but had drifted to 1/12 as McGregor and his army of supporters hyped up his chances of causing what would be a remarkable upset. The Irishman was now 5/1.

Since then, over 80% of the money placed on the fight with Sky Bet have been for McGregor due to factors including the age difference of 11 years, Mayweather's potential ring rust after two years of retirement, the 8oz gloves and 'that' sparring session McGregor had with Paulie Malignaggi. Click here to find out more and to view that leaked video!

'Money' is now 1/4 to triumph while 'Notorious' can be backed at 3/1 to pull off a stunning upset.

Mayweather v McGregor: Key details

When is it? Saturday, August 26
Where? T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
What channel is it on in the UK? Sky Sports Box Office (show starts 0100 BST on Sunday)
Fight time? Roughly between 0400 BST and 0500 BST on Sunday morning
When is the weigh-in? 2300 BST on Friday August 25, live on Sky Sports Main Event
What are the latest Sky Bet odds? Mayweather Jr (1/4) v Conor McGregor (3/1)
What are their fight records? Mayweather: 49-0, 26 KOs, McGregor (MMA): 21-3, 18 KOs

Mayweather v McGregor: Tale of the tape