Venues around Australia are bracing for boxing’s ‘fight of the century’ with record numbers expected to flood pubs, bars and even cinemas.
The clash between Irish UFC sensation Conor McGregor and the undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather is the most-hyped fight of all time.
Licensed venues around Australia are already preparing for crowds of excited fight fans, with many expecting to be packed before noon.
The clash between Irish UFC sensation Conor McGregor (pictured, right) and the undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather (pictured, left) is the most-hyped fight of all time
Conor McGregor fans (pictured at Toronto press conference in July) are expected to turn out in force at venues around Australia
The historic bout will be shown in Village and Event Cinemas nationwide, with tickets starting at $28, Fox Sports reported.
Ringside tickets at Las Vegas’s 20,000-seat T-Mobile Arena are going for as much as $70,000, and the fight is being billed as the biggest of all time.
Pubs are expecting large numbers of fight fans, including Irish backpackers and Irish expats keen to cheer on their champion, and are paying at least $3000 to air it.
Scruffy Murphy’s in Sydney’s CBD say they are preparing for a large mixed crowd, as is the Cock ‘N’ Bull in Bondi.
Pubs around Australia are likely to be full to capacity for the hotly anticipated ‘fight of the century’ between Floyd Mayweather (pictured, left) and Conor McGregor (pictured, right)
A staff member at PJ O’Brien’s in Melbourne’s Southbank said they were looking forward to a packed house for the mega-fight, with a large presence of McGregor fans (pictured at the Toronto press conference in July)
A staff member at PJ O’Brien’s in Melbourne’s Southbank said they were looking forward to a packed house for the mega-fight.
‘We’ll probably be at full capacity by 11 or 12 o’clock,’ she said, adding that they do not usually show fights at all.
In nearby Carlton, the new owners of the Dan O’Connell Hotel say they have already received bookings for the bout, mainly from regulars.
The unprecedented demand has also raised concerns of drunken violence, but police said no special operations were planned.
Record numbers of fans are expected to turn out to watch the fight between Floyd Mayweather (pictured, left) and Conor McGregor (pictured, right)
Scruffy Murphy’s (pictured) in Sydney’s CBD say they are preparing for a large mixed crowd
Maroubra’s Glasshouse Hotel will not be showing the fight, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Publican Bob Tate said the decision was based on the likelihood of trouble from Irish backpackers.
‘It’s primarily the very high risk of anti-social and unacceptable behaviour from the McGregor supporters,’ he said.
His establishment is one of very few venues not showing the fight, and none of the pubs spoken to by Daily Mail Australia said they were worried about trouble.
Conor ‘ The Notorious’ McGregor (pictured) has a 21-3 record in the UFC, is lightweight champion, and considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world
The new owners of the Dan O’Connell Hotel (pictured) in Carlton say they have already received bookings for the bout, mainly from regulars
PJ O’Brien’s in Melbourne said they rarely have trouble with Irish sports fans, including Conor McGregor fans.
A police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia they were unaware of any special preparations in place for the fight.
The under card fights start at 11am (AEST) on Sunday August 27, with main event beginning about 2pm.
Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather has a flawless record of 49 wins and zero losses over a 20 year career, a five division world champion and winner of 15 world titles.
The Irish superstar (pictured, right) has made the crossover to boxing after a long period of speculation and trash talk between him and Mayweather (pictured, left)
Conor ‘ The Notorious’ McGregor has a 21-3 record in the UFC, is lightweight champion, and considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
The Irish superstar has made the crossover to boxing after a long period of speculation and trash talk between him and Mayweather.
There has been a massive build-up to the billion-dollar bout, with the fighters holding press conferences in Los Angeles, Toronto, New York, and London.
Mayweather is expected to earn anywhere from $100million to $400million if per-per-view targets are hit.
The boxing legend is a heavy favorite, with Sportbet offering odds of $1.27 for Mayweather and McGregor paying $4.
The Cock ‘N’ Bull (pictured) in Bondi say they are showing the fight and many Irish fans will be present