UFC star Conor McGregor is making a lot of wise guys nervous in Las Vegas.
Should he somehow manage to knock out undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the early rounds of Saturday’s highly-anticipated fight, the city’s bookmakers would lose millions of dollars in what will be the biggest single event loss in the history of sports betting.
The later that happens the better, say local bars and entertainment venues who expect to show the big, and expensive, matchup to packed houses.
“I’m expecting a sell-out crowd,” said Dennis Winkler, general manager for Winks Eatery on Albert Street. “We have a capacity of approximately 150 people on the inside, and we’re expecting a sell-out crowd for that.”
“The cost is only $10, we’re not taking reservations, it’s first-come-first-serve.”
The event Saturday night in Las Vegas could break all pay-per-view records and is predicted to bring in nearly $700 million.
It will see McGregor make his pro-boxing debut against Mayweather, who is 49-0 and is considered the best defensive fighter of his generation. About 95 per cent of bets for the match are on McGregor, who is a longshot to win.
“I just hope it’s a good fight because it’s expensive,” Winkler said. “It’s costing us close to $2,000 to show this fight, and I don’t want something that’s going to be a first-round knockout if you know what I mean!”
WATCH: Will the big McGregor vs. Mayweather fight live up to the hype?
Several other downtown restaurants and venues are getting in on the pay-per-view action. Crabby Joes, Fox and the Fiddle, Jacks, and Fitzrays are some establishments that plan to show the big fight with varying cover prices and capacities.
For $20, the London Music Hall says Londoners can catch the match on a giant 18-by-14-foot screen during a ticketed event, complete with a DJ spinning tracks between fights.
“We will be putting on a full production, even when the fighters come out, our lights, everything will be going off,” said Dimitri Manuel, London Music Hall’s VP of operations. “It will be a really cool and unique atmosphere to watch the fight.”
Dimitri said $250 tickets are also being sold for those wanting a table for 10 guests.
“They can go on our website… they can purchase the ticket there, or they can come into our box office anytime between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.,” Manuel said. “We’ll also be selling tickets at the door.”
As the cost to show the fight publicly is based on venue capacity, Manuel said they were spending well over $7,000 to screen the pay-per-view match.
Those looking to take in the bout on a cinematic scale can pay $42 and see the fight at Cineplex’s Masonville and Westmount theatres.
With files from Matthew Trevithick and The Associated Press
Comments