I bet that he makes more in sponsor money from this one fight than all the fighters in the UFC have received so far under the Reebok contract.
No Reebok For Irishman
- Thread starter Onetrickpony
- Start date
-
- Tags
- reebok
I bet that he makes more in sponsor money from this one fight than all the fighters in the UFC have received so far under the Reebok contract.
CONOR McGregor may earn north of $100 million for his upcoming fight with Floyd Mayweather and that’s not even counting the money he’ll make from endorsements for the bout taking place on August 26 (August 27 AEST) in Las Vegas.
One of the more interesting aspects about the fight is the apparel brand that will undoubtedly make up McGregor’s fight week clothes, not to mention the shorts and shoes he’ll wear into the ring to face Mayweather.
McGregor had previously inked an exclusive clothing deal with Reebok, who also handles the outfitting policy for the UFC, but it appears that contract has come to an end just ahead of his fight with Mayweather...
Conor genius sparks Nike, Reebok war
One of the more interesting aspects about the fight is the apparel brand that will undoubtedly make up McGregor’s fight week clothes, not to mention the shorts and shoes he’ll wear into the ring to face Mayweather.
McGregor had previously inked an exclusive clothing deal with Reebok, who also handles the outfitting policy for the UFC, but it appears that contract has come to an end just ahead of his fight with Mayweather...
Conor genius sparks Nike, Reebok war
How much will Mayweather make?
Burger King, FanDuel, Hublot each paid $1 million to sponsor Mayweather
You might assume that the number-one boxer in the world would have a slew of endorsement deals. But for Floyd Mayweather, that isn't the case.
The boxer earned an estimated $105 million in 2014 from his two fights against Marcos Maidana. None of that money came from any active sponsorships. Mayweather has told Fortune in the past that the reason he does not have endorsement deals is not because brands aren't interested, but because his baseline for entry is too high for most. Mayweather's ask, these days, is a minimum of $1 million.
Back in 2009, Mayweather did sign a shoe deal with Reebok, but the arrangement was not renewed for 2010. By way of explanation, there is a funny and oft-repeated story that two of Mayweather's associates told Fortune last year: only three weeks after signing the Reebok deal, he wandered into a Nike store at a mall, spent thousands of dollars, and shared photos of the spree on his social media accounts. He heard from Reebok right away with the obvious complaint: that he had a million-dollar deal with them, and that one of the basic concepts of such a deal is that he should not be buying Nike products. Mayweather, feeling boxed in, walked away from the deal and gave Reebok its money back, according to his people. After all, he makes so much money from boxing that he doesn't need to earn anything outside the ring—why would he enter into any deal with a brand unless it's completely on his terms?
The recent outcry against Mayweather's domestic violence suggests a different story. It suggests that brands are turning down Mayweather, not vice-versa. CNNMoney calls him, "the star athlete no sponsor will touch." Sports Illustratedcalls him "the most hated athlete in professional sports." The sports web site Deadspin has published a slew of posts in the criticizing not just Mayweather, but also any reporters who scored an interview with him and did not push him on his past. A Bloomberg View column questions the vilification of Yankees star Alex Rodriguez by pointing out that Mayweather is much more objectionable. All of this bad press could scare sponsors away.
But for the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, three brands deemed it worth the risk of bad publicity, and worth the million-dollar price tag: Burger King (bkw), daily fantasy sports site FanDuel, and Swiss watchmaker Hublot. Sources have confirmed to Fortune that each company spent around $1 million to get into the ring with Mayweather.
Hublot had brand placement at the waist of his boxing trunks, while FanDuel had its name at the bottom of one trunk-leg. In terms of exposure, each of those brands got 36 minutes (a full 12 rounds, at 2 minutes per round). Burger King, on the other hand, only got the two minutes or so of its mascot, the Burger King, walking in with Mayweather and his entourage. Mexican brewer Tecate spent a bit more for its 36 minutes: ESPN reported that the company paid $5.6 million to be the official sponsor of the overall fight.
Judging purely by pay-per-view receipts, the brands may have gotten their money's worth. Deadline reports that the fight generated more than 3 million PPV buys, which sets an all-time record. And far more than three million people watched the fight, since so many watched at bars or with friends. But the number of eyeballs was certainly nowhere close to the 114 million people that watched the Super Bowl last February. For a 30-second ad during that event, brands spent $4.5 million. So the companies involved with the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight spent a quarter of that, but for far fewer eyeballs and at the risk of backlash.
When asked why it chose to stand with Mayweather, Burger King's official statement was: "There's a reason we call him the King." (The comment referred to its mascot.)
FanDuel's response today, through spokesperson Justine Sacco, is that sponsoring Mayweather allowed the company to offer its users a rare experience: "As part of our sponsorship agreement, FanDuel offered three fantasy contests, with an entry fee of $2, in which the winners were awarded two tickets each to the biggest fight of our lifetime... This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for our users, who would have never had the chance to be at MGM, and witness boxing history, otherwise." More than 200,000 FanDuel users entered the three contests, which FanDuel says "validated that we offered one of the most desirable experiences to sports fans across the country."
Hublot did not respond to a request for comment. In a press release the day before the fight, the company called Mayweather a "a great fit for Hublot" and said, "We will lay witness to greatness tomorrow."
HBO and Showtime reportedly made more than $400 million in revenue from the fight. The MGM Grand in Las Vegas sold $74 million in tickets to the fight. The fighters themselves divided up a $300 million purse (60 percent to Mayweather, the bigger draw). These entities all made their money. Burger King, FanDuel and Hublot spent theirs. Was it worth it? Additional brands may be asking themselves that question in anticipation of September, when Mayweather will fight for the final time in his career.
These three brands each spent $1 million to sponsor Floyd Mayweather
Holy shit. This is fucked. Not for Connor, but the rest of the fighters, and Reebok.
Do you think? He's not the type. He just won't give a shit
Maygregor vs McWeather fight of the century!
Conor is fighting Fedor now??
Can't be like crabs in a bucket. They should be happy for him for actually having reached this far. An MMA success story for once.
I'd like to think the majority of gripes wouldn't be aimed at Conor but at those who have enabled him while stifling others. At least I'd hope so.
They should be but as evidenced by their past hating many won't be.
He was going to box Jeff Lacy, but Zuffa put the kabosh on that. Nick was pissed.
Conor is going to make that boxing money, good for him, much deserved, he is the true king. But haters will hate on him for fighting Mayweather and making mega millions instead of fighting Ferguson for a couple mil.
Reebok is where it's at
Oh yes I remember something like that now
I do like that a fighter is getting paid for his hard work of self promotion, along with his talent.
Now on the other hand, after this all goes down, even during the build up, how will other fighters respond to this? Yes, you get the exposure of one of your champions fighting in such a huge match, you get some of the cut or whatever, but then you have 500+ fighters who are gonna be more disgruntled.
Unless these opportunities are presented to other top tier talent at the very least, do not see how this is an overall win.
Good for good ol' McGregor overall.
Now on the other hand, after this all goes down, even during the build up, how will other fighters respond to this? Yes, you get the exposure of one of your champions fighting in such a huge match, you get some of the cut or whatever, but then you have 500+ fighters who are gonna be more disgruntled.
Unless these opportunities are presented to other top tier talent at the very least, do not see how this is an overall win.
Good for good ol' McGregor overall.
I'll throw 10bux in for the McGregor sponsorship
i heard mayweather is going to reebok for this fight
THIS!... Keep preaching the truth brotha.
Conor Melendez, Giblert McGregor, Anderson Aldo, Northern Ireland and all fighters that
train UFC are lucky to have a powerful high paying sponsor like Reebok and damn well
need to start showing hespect to the brand
Last edited:
