Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeated Conor McGregor at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday in front of a crowd of 14,623, "about 6,000 shy" of capacity, according to Lance Pugmire of the L.A. TIMES. Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe said, "You're not going to always get it right. It's all about delivery. The fans who were here enjoyed themselves" (L.A. TIMES, 8/27). In Washington, DC, Rick Maese reported the night's "biggest surprise" was that the fight was not "the snoozefest many feared." Mayweather and McGregor "promised to put on a show," and to the "surprise of many, they delivered." Mayweather, "speaking perhaps for much of the boxing world," said, "He was a lot better than I thought he was. He used different angles. He was tough competitor, but I was the better man tonight" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/27).
TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY: In L.A., Andrew Wallenstein reported the fight was "delayed shortly before its scheduled starting time due to widespread technical issues preventing an unspecified number of paying subscribers from being able to watch live." After "initial indications the main event would commence" at 11:15pm ET, it did not "get started until nearly one hour later." Social media was "bombarded with complaints from fans who paid $100 to get the pay-per-view telecast of the fight only to get error messages and no live stream of the action" (VARIETY, 8/27).
RAKING IT IN: ESPN.com's Dan Rafael reported Mayweather made a guaranteed $100M from the fight, but "likely will make well in excess" of $200M. Meanwhile, McGregor was guaranteed $30M for the fight and "likely will earn" more than $100M (ESPN.com, 8/27). Asked if the size of McGregor's purse would "cause problems" in UFC negotiations, UFC President Dana White said, "No. Listen, if our fights do what the buys did here tonight at the gate, we'll all be good. Trust me." White also said of the fight bringing more fans to UFC, "I don't know, I don't know if that's the case" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 8/27).
MORE THAN ONE WINNER: In Sydney, Matt Bungard reported McGregor "got plenty of good shots in and, most importantly," he did not get knocked out. Boxing's reputation "is protected with Mayweather's win," but it is a "huge victory for the UFC as well." The "Irish jewel" in the organization's crown "was not embarrassed, as many thought he would be," and he confirmed that he will "return to the octagon in the future." The "public interest in UFC continues to rise," and McGregor "being thrust into a spotlight on a stratospheric level and giving a good account of himself can only be good in the long run" for the sport, which has lost major drawcards like Ronda Rousey and Jon Jones, "potentially for good" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 8/27). In London, Bryan Armen Graham reported McGregor said after the fight, "I have many options in mixed martial arts. I'm sure there's options that will present themselves in the boxing game. But right now I'm a free agent. My name is on the ring" (GUARDIAN, 8/27).
IT'S COMPLICATED: In London, Nick Pitt reported British boxers who hope to emulate Mayweather by "engaging in big-money contests" against opponents from MMA could be putting their boxing licenses in jeopardy. World heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua "recently expressed enthusiasm for taking on" an MMA opponent in a cage fight. British Boxing Board of Control General Secretary Robert Smith said, "There is more to this than some people realize. Most importantly, our insurance policy for all boxers is dependent on very strict medical procedures. MMA events do not match those standards and we cannot risk that policy being invalidated" (SUNDAY TIMES, 8/27).
FOOTBALLERS REACT: ESPN.com reported among the millions who watched the fight, "several football stars past and present either stayed up all night or woke up ridiculously early" to tune in (ESPN.com, 8/27).
