Floyd Mayweather attempted to place '$400,000 bet' on fight against Conor McGregor

The American confirmed himself that he had given a friend 'six figures' to place a bet on Saturday's victory but was denied

Samuel Lovett
Sunday 27 August 2017 06:47 EDT
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Floyd Mayweather is known to be a keen sports better
Floyd Mayweather is known to be a keen sports better (Getty)

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Floyd Mayweather confirmed after his stoppage victory over Conor McGregor that he had attempted to place a “six figure” bet on Saturday’s fight but was stopped from doing so.

The American extended his flawless professional career to 50 fights unbeaten by stopping McGregor in the 10th round, at which point the Irishman was down 89-81 89-82 87-83 on the ringside cards.

Reports claim Mayweather attempted to place $400,000 on the fight ending under 9.5 rounds at -200 odds, though the 40-year-old himself didn’t give an exact figure after victory at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

"I think that we bet 100 on 9½," Mayweather told ESPN after the fight. "I gave my guy six figures to go bet. I have to make sure he bet because earlier today I went to the sports book to bet and they wouldn't let me bet."

Concerns will have likely been raised over the legality of a fighter betting on anything than a straight win, though neither the Nevada State Athletic Commission nor Nevada Gaming Control has regulations addressing a fighter's ability to bet on himself.

Mayweather frequently bets on other sports, posting updates on his social media accounts.

The American’s victory never looked in doubt during Saturday’s bout, though the five-division world champion admitted the fight had gone on longer than he and father Floyd Sr had expected.

"I did what I do best," he said. "I found a way to trap him and broke him down.

"Me and my father, we don't always see eye to eye but we get great results.

"My dad thought it would be the seventh or sixth. It took us a little longer than expected but we did what we said we would do."

He added: "Our game plan was to take our time, go to him, let him shoot his shots early and then take him out down the stretch," he said.

"We know in MMA he fights for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, he started to slow down."

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