Mayweather-McGregor fight announcement has winners and losers

After more than a year of posturing and speculation, UFC superstar Conor McGregor and undefeated boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. have agreed to box at T-Mobile Arena on Aug. 26.

It’s expected to be one of the biggest events in combat sports history.

Millions will be made and records will be shattered, but there are winners and losers in every major deal and this is no different.

Here we take a look at some of each:

Winners

The fighters: Floyd Mayweather is going to make a massive payday and in all likelihood move to 50-0 in his career with one of the most favorable matchups possible. McGregor is a massive underdog and has a free roll for what could be a history-defining victory. Oh, and he’s going to make the biggest payday of his career.

Showtime: It’s always nice to have one of the biggest sporting events in history just fall into your lap. Mayweather, by far their biggest draw, would have likely stayed retired if this matchup hadn’t materialized.

Las Vegas: The greatest city in the entertainment world comes out a winner yet again. This fight will bring out an insane amount of money and squeeze one more massive weekend out of the summer. Everyone from valet attendants to bartenders to exotic dancers should benefit financially.

The “debate shows”: The summer is often a slow period for sports. That’s certainly not the case anymore. Mayweather and McGregor are two of the sport’s most skilled promoters and will find a way to stay in the news on a daily basis as the fight approaches. There will be plenty of topics to fake argue about.

Ticket brokers: The market for tickets to this fight is going to go through the roof. Go ahead and set a price alert right now on some of the resale apps available on your phone if you want to play a fun game for the next few months.

Losers

BIG3 Tournament: Ice Cube’s professional 3-on-3 league was planning on its inaugural championship game at T-Mobile Arena on Aug. 26. Now it will be downsized to a smaller venue across the street and will have to directly compete with one of the biggest sporting events in the history of Las Vegas.

Golden Boy Promotions: This announcement could not have been any worse for Oscar De La Hoya. Not only did he issue a lengthy plea on social media this month to preserve the integrity of boxing by not allowing the spectacle of McGregor making his professional debut against an undefeated champion, the Aug. 26 date also falls three weeks before his boxer Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is scheduled to fight Gennady Golovkin at the same venue. To say Mayweather and McGregor will steal a little bit of the thunder from what was supposed to be the biggest boxing match of the year would be a grave understatement.

The UFC: This one is debatable. The UFC could turn into a big winner if McGregor increases his star power and returns to the mixed martial arts organization to have a long career and they all make millions together. It’s a big risk, though. It is possible he will cash this massive check and lose the desire to return to MMA, where he might have to endure several years worth of hard battles to clear the kind of cash he will make on one night. Either way, the organization will also make a lot of money for the fight, so they will at least be short-term winners..

Kovalev-Ward fight: Yeah, there’s a really good fight this weekend. The timing of the announcement was unfortunate for these two who meet in a rematch this weekend at T-Mobile Arena.

Boxing: Yes, the once great sport is now at a place where someone who has never done it before is the biggest draw in the game. That’s amazing. Purists will likely cringe on what could be a very unconventional fight once they actually step in the ring. There is no doubt Aug. 26 will be a fun night. What it means for the sport is a different story.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @adamhilllvrj on Twitter.