The crossover fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor wasn’t exactly the first event of his kind. However, it was the most popular one, inspiring the recently held fight between heavyweight giants Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia. However, did that fight make ‘The Notorious’ McGregor’s career?

Back in 2017, Mayweather took on the challenge to fight an MMA guy as his last career fight. And boy, did it make the two of them a lot of money! According to a report from TalkSport, the fight generated over $600 million in revenue. Ultimately, Mayweather walked out with $300 million and McGregor with $100 million. While appearing in The Pivot Podcast yesterday, Mayweather claimed that was the fight that made McGregor’s career! 

Floyd Mayweather claims he is the be-all and end-all

During the podcast with Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather, Ryan Clark brought up the Conor McGregor fight, suggesting he admired how Floyd let McGregor market the fight. In response, the retired boxing legend claimed every fighter who faced him eventually went on to make it big in the sport. “Look how big he got – If you look at these fighters. Look how big these fighters got after facing me,” said Mayweather.

When asked about why he chose McGregor as an opponent, ‘Money’ claimed, “For me, it’s chess. I’m all the pieces on the board, and he [is] just one pawn on the board. I’m all the pieces on the board, so I control everything on the board.” He even revealed what his opponent has to do when they are fighting against him. “When you [are] competing against Floyd Mayweather, all you [have] to do is put your stuff and show up,” said Mayweather. That aside, was the fight really that big? 

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All the numbers from Conor McGregor vs. ‘Money’ Mayweather

Floyd Mayweather was coming off a win over Andre Berto and another big money-making fight against Manny Pacquiao. He was on the verge of retirement, and this fight was the last of his professional career, so there was endless hype about it. Besides the revenue the fight generated and what both fighters walked out with, other numbers were also impressive. 

Also Read: $100 Million Feat Against Floyd Mayweather Not Good Enough for Conor McGregor’s Coach, Makes a Confession on Another Fight

The crossover boxing event collected 4.3 million pay-per-view buys, only beaten by Mayweather’s tango with Pacquiao, collecting 4.6 million. The gate revenue at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas was over $55 million. It again stands second only to the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight with $72 million at MGM Grand Garden. As a cherry on top, the winner of the fight was given the most expensive belt by the WBC, which some reports suggest cost between $400 K and $1 million. 

Conor McGregor might have been popular in the MMA world, but nobody really knew him before his fight against Floyd Mayweather, according to ‘Money’. Meanwhile, Mayweather was an international boxing sensation, and everyone remotely interested in boxing knew him. Do you agree with Floyd’s statement about him putting McGregor on the map.  Or do you think McGregor never needed Floyd’s popularity? 

Also Read: 6 Years After Iconic Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather Fight, Dana White Implies It Was a “Gimmick”