Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor hype didn't translate into big crowd in Vegas

(This story first was published at USATODAY.com.)

LAS VEGAS – The lavish media attention and the expected huge number of pay-per-view buys for Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor did not directly translate into ticket sales Saturday night.

The reported crowd at T-Mobile Arena for Mayweather’s 10th-round TKO victory over the UFC lightweight champion was 14,623, more than 6,000 shy of the audience for the last major boxing event in the same building.

That was when Saul “Canelo” Alvarez defeated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in May, although those seats were priced much cheaper than those for Saturday, which reached as high as $10,000 for ringside views.

When Alvarez fights Gennady “GGG” Golovkin next month, more than 20,000 are expected again.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe said, when asked if the turnout was a disappointment. “Sometimes it is all about delivery. It was a great event with a wonderful turnout. We don’t always get it right. We get it right more often than not, though.”

Mayweather later claimed that the live gate would exceed the $72 million generated when Mayweather fought Manny Pacquiao in 2015, although Ellerbe was unsure if that would be the case.

“We are in good shape,” Ellerbe added. “I am confident we are in good shape. I am not confident to talk about that … until next week when we get all the numbers. I am pretty sure we are right there.”

When quizzed as to why there were two large sections that did not contain any fans, Ellerbe responded sarcastically.

“I guess because people weren’t in the seats,” he said.

For complete coverage of “The Money Fight: Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor,” check out the MMA Events section of the site.