Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor – the two men squaring off in what is being billed as the Fight of the Century – have both made their anticipated arrivals at a Las Vegas arena on Saturday night.
The two super-welterweight fighters have been preparing for the big boxing match for months and the event has generated hype as the world waits to see who will become boxing’s undisputed king.
An audience packed with 20,000 ravenous fans is expected at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with private jets ferrying celebrities into Vegas as bets worth more than a million dollars are placed on the match.
Some of those A-listers are preparing to take their seats ringside as Bruce Willis, Vanessa Hudgens, the Backstreet Boys, LeBron James and model Jasmine Sanders, have all been spotted making their way inside for the big night.
Even more Hollywood stars are expected to turn up as Leonardo DiCaprio was spotted around Sin City, star couple Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez were seen flying towards Nevada in a private jet and Australian actor Chris Hemsworth was bound for the match with his friends as well.
The undefeated Floyd Mayweather (pictured) made his anticipated arrival at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night ahead of his highly publicized fight against Irishman Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor arrived with his child and girlfriend as he entered the arena for what is being billed as the Fight of the Century on Saturday evening
Dozens of A-listers are expected to attend the event and some prepared to take their seats ringside, including Bruce Willis (left) and Vanessa Hudgens (right)
Demi Lovato arrived to the match with sleeked back hair as she is slated to sing the US national anthem before the fight
LeBron James waits with his wife for a super welterweight boxing match between Mayweather and McGregor on Saturday. The superstar player for the Cleveland Cavaliers sits in front of former boxer Mike Tyson
McGregor came sporting a shorter haircut than he had in the days leading up to the fight, with his girlfriend behind him pushing their 3-month-old baby in a stroller.
Mayweather is guaranteed $100million for his night’s work, and could make double that if the pay-per-view buys are strong as expected. McGregor’s guarantee with the Nevada State Athletic Commission is $30million.
There are two more fights on the under card before the main event begins. There will also be two national anthems, with the U.S. version sung by Demi Lovato and the Irish anthem by Imelda May.
Promoters had nearly 2,000 tickets still to sell on fight day at prices ranging from $2,500 to $10,000.
Irish fans filled the arena the day before for the weigh-in, when McGregor weighed 153 pounds and Mayweather 149 ½.
The fight is expected to set records on pay-per-view, with some 5 million homes buying at $99.95. The main event is expected to begin about 9pm local time.
The fight is expected to set records on pay-per-view, with some 5 million homes buying at $99.95. The main event is expected to begin about 9pm local time
McGregor arrives for his super welterweight boxing match against Mayweather with his child and his girlfriend
Rapper Meek Mill turned up in a causal look, wearing sneakers, shorts and a button down shirt. The ex of Nicki Minaj touched down in Las Vegas on Friday
Model Jasmine Sanders, 26, (left) and Aisha Tyler (right) both posed with the specially made ‘Money Belt’. It is made with alligator skin from Italy, the belt boasts an alleged 3,360 diamonds, 600 sapphires, 300 emeralds, three pounds of solid, 24-karat gold
Alex Pall and Andrew Taggart of The Chainsmokers arrive for the fight of the century. The music duo had just returned from Manchester in time to catch the fight
The big money continued rolling in just before fight time at this city’s sports books, with several million-dollar bets on Floyd Mayweather Jr. to beat Conor McGregor.
Bookies had faced taking a big loss because McGregor tickets outnumbered Mayweather tickets by as much as 18-1 at some books. But the big bets started coming in Thursday on Mayweather and at the William Hill chain of sports books 74 percent of the money on straight bets was on Mayweather.
There were a handful of million-dollar bets on Mayweather, with three coming in just hours before the fight. The biggest reported bet on McGregor is $100,000.
Bookmakers say they still will post a big loss should McGregor beat Mayweather, especially if he stops him early. If Mayweather wins, though, it will be a big score by the sports books.
Mayweather was minus 600 at William Hill, down from 11-1 when the fight was announced.
The fight is shaping up to be the biggest bet fight ever, breaking the mark of about $50 million set in Mayweather’s win over Manny Pacquiao in 2015.
The men will not be fighting for a major boxing title when they meet in the ring, but that has not stopped the pair from creating their very own belt.
‘Vegas bound’: Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez posted the same Instagram photo of themselves jetting with Robert Kraft to watch Conor McGregor fight Floyd Mayweather
Party boy: Leonardo DiCapiro, 42, was spotted on his way to dinner in Las Vegas on Friday ahead of the big fight on Saturday
‘Best day ever’: Chris Hemsworth, 34, shared a snap to Instagram on Saturday, that saw the actor headed to Las Vegas on board a private jet with pals, to watch the Floyd Mayweather versus Conor McGregor boxing match
Mayweather was a five-division world champion in his pomp but gave up his welterweight title after retiring in September 2015.
McGregor also lays claim to the UFC lightweight belt, but the biggest fight of all time will not see a title change hands.
The specially made ‘Money Belt’, however, will be up for grabs. The stunning accessory was revealed in Las Vegas on Wednesday as the pair spoke with the press for the final time before their bout on Saturday evening.
Made with alligator skin from Italy, the belt boasts an alleged 3,360 diamonds, 600 sapphires, 300 emeralds, three pounds of solid, 24-karat gold and was commissioned by World Boxing Organisation president Mauricio Sulaiman.
The gold alone would be worth nearly $60,000 at today’s prices, meaning the winner will be getting a nice kicker on top of their huge individual earnings.
Epic confrontation: After stripping down to his boxer briefs for the weigh-in earlier on Saturday, ‘Mystic Mac’, as McGregor is known, left little to the imagination as he faced off with the undefeated boxing legend known as Money