Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum does not agree with Floyd Mayweather being given the ability to raise his record to a perfect 50-0 by beating a non-boxer who is making his professional boxing debut.
Mayweather, breaking a two-year retirement, is returning to the ring on August 26th to face UFC superstar Conor McGregor at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
McGregor, who has no experience in boxing, is a tremendous underdog in the contest.
A victory would raise Mayweather's record to a perfect 50-0 - which surpasses the 49-0 record of heavyweight great Rocky Marciano.
Arum does not even view Mayweather-McGregor as a legitimate fight and he's advised anyone who will listen, to save their money for the Gennady Golovkin vs. Canelo Alvarez pay-per-view, which takes place three weeks later on September 16 at the same Las Vegas venue - which is being staged by Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions.
Arum views the contest as a "spectacle" and feels there is no reason to allow this fight to appear on Mayweather's official record.
“He doesn’t deserve (the 50-0) record, because he’s not fighting a fighter,” Arum told TMZ Sports. “He’s not fighting a real boxer. McGregor is a good MMA guy, but it’s a different sport. It’s not a fight, for Christ’s sake. And three weeks later, De La Hoya’s doing a hell of a fight, (Gennady) Golovkin and (Canelo) Alvarez. That’s a good fight.”
Arum has also advised Mayweather's team to lower the ticket prices - after reports surfaced earlier this week that thousands of tickets are still available for purchase. The cheapest ticket is priced at $500. And even the pay-per-view price has fans up in arms - at $99.95 for HD and $89.95 for SD.
Because McGregor is viewed as a such a huge underdog, the fans are not willing to shell out the big bucks to watch it.
“There’s a limit to the number of suckers (that will pay),” Arum said. “If they reduce the ticket price, (they can sell out).”