With just two days remaining before the big August 26 boxing match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor, it’s become clear that this could be the biggest match in the history of sports betting – yes, even bigger than the Super Bowl. They’ve definitely not held back on promoting this fight; it’ll be the main event of an eight-bout card that’s being set up like a UFC show, starting with four prelim fights for free on FOX, then four more fights on the Showtime pay-per-view. Over five million people are expected to shell out $89.95 ($99.95 for hi-def) for this bad boy.
Many of those people – and millions more – will be betting on Mayweather vs. McGregor. It’ll be the first official sports wager for a lot of folks, so if you’re new to the game, or you just need a little brushing up, here’s an overview of the many different ways (115 of them at press time) that you can bet on "The Money Fight".
The Moneyline
When you look at the boxing odds for August 26, you’ll see something like this – all fight odds are as we go to press:
Floyd Mayweather: –400
Conor McGregor: +300
This way of expressing the odds is called the moneyline. Mayweather has the minus sign next to his number; that means he’s the favorite, and you bet $400 to win $100 (or any multiple thereof, as long as it fits between the minimum and maximum bets). McGregor is the underdog with the plus sign, meaning you bet $100 to win $300.
The Total
Other sports have totals based on how many points or goals or runs the two teams score. In boxing, the total is based on the number of rounds, and you can bet over or under the posted total. These odds will be expressed in a similar fashion to the moneyline, using plus signs and minus signs as necessary. Most boxing matches will have one total on the board, but since Mayweather vs. McGregor is so big, you can bet over or under every possible number in this 12-round fight. Other totals are available, like how many people will buy the PPV (4.99 million, OVER –155) or how many points Mayweather will finish ahead by on the three combined score cards (39.5, OVER –130).
The Props
Proposition bets (or props, for short) ask you to wager on a certain outcome other than the winner or the total. In boxing, the most common prop is method of victory; you can bet on either Mayweather or McGregor winning by KO/TKO/DQ, or via decision, or whether the fight will end in a draw. You can also place bets on more exotic props – the bigger the match, the more exotic the props get. For example, will McGregor throw a kick during the fight? YES is available at +700 if you think the UFC Lightweight champ will forget he’s not in the Octagon.
*Odds as of August 24, 2017