Hype will collide with reality in Las Vegas on Saturday night as boxing legend Floyd Mayweather takes on mixed martial arts superstar Conor McGregor in a battle of combat sport kings, tipped to be the richest fight in history.

Termed as a super fight, Mayweather and McGregor will touch gloves at Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena in a 12-round boxing contest, which will be beamed to more than 200 countries and territories.

The “Money Fight” is expected to surpass the revenue generated by Mayweather’s 2015 fight with Manny Pacquiao, with both opponents set to rake in millions.

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Here’s a look at all the huge and crazy numbers from the much-anticipated super-fight.

Big names

  • At 40, Mayweather is a former welterweight champion and one of the finest boxers in history who boasts a perfect 49-0 record.
  • At 29, McGregor has made a name for himself in the Ultimate Fighting Championship with a 21-3 record since debuting professionally in 2008.
  • Mayweather is returning to the ring two years after his retirement in 2015 and is aiming for his 50th win which would place him one clear of heavyweight legend Rocky Marciano.
  • This will be his first professional boxing fight for McGregor who has two UFC titles.
  • At the Friday weigh-in, McGregor tipped the scales at 153 pounds (69.4 kg), well inside the 154-pound limit, and will carry a weight advantage over Mayweather who weighs 149.5 pounds (67.8 kg).

Big money

  • The one-off bout will make Mayweather richer by a cool $200 million, (around Rs 1,277 crore) while McGregor will potentially pocket around $100 million. (Around Rs 63,885 lakh)
  • The fight is estimated to make more than the $600 million generated by the last superfight between Mayweather vs Pacquiao. 
  • Ringside seats worth $100,250 (around Rs 6,404,471) piece were being offered on secondary ticket markets as of Thursday, even though some 1,700 seats in the 20,000-capacity venue remained unsold.
  • Millions of fans across the United States are expected to shell out $99.95 (around Rs 6400) for pay-per-view television, the most important economic engine of the spectacle.
  •   The winner will get a “Money Belt” studded with 3,360 diamonds, 600 sapphires, 300 emeralds mounted in 1.5 kg of solid gold and set in alligator leather.

Big Bets

  • Vegas bookmakers say that while the majority of bets on the fight have been placed on McGregor, a 5-1 underdog, most of the total ‘handle’ or betting pool has been placed on Mayweather. 
  • A whopping $1.2 million bet is among a flurry of big-money wagers on Mayweather, which could earn the punter around $240,000. (around Rs 1,53,32,400)
  • William Hill US said another gambler had staked $300,000 on the outcome in Mayweather’s favour.  
  • The MGM sportsbook also took a $1 million bet on Mayweather, which could net around $182,000 in profits.  

With inputs from AFP