Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor Fight Odds Dropping in Favor of Notorious

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Conor McGregor is viewed as a heavy underdog for his Aug. 26 fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., but that hasn't stopped fans from throwing money on the UFC lightweight champion.

As a result of the betting, CBSSports.com's Brian Campbell reported Mayweather's odds have declined while McGregor's have improved. According to Campbell, Bovada has Mayweather as a 2-9 favorite, with McGregor sporting 13-4 odds.

To put those odds in perspective, Mayweather opened as a 2-45 favorite, while McGregor was a 19-2 underdog, according to OddsShark.

The fact McGregor has closed the gap so much could be evidence the four-city promotional tour he and Mayweather went on in July not only helped build interest in the fight but also established McGregor as more of an equal to Mayweather in the eyes of fans (Warning: video contains NSFW language).

Mayweather also did his best to put over McGregor in an interview with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith.

"He's a lot younger. When you look at myself and Conor McGregor on paper, he's taller, has a longer reach, he's a bigger man from top to bottom," Mayweather said. "He's a lot younger, so youth is on his side. And I've been off a couple of years. And I'm in my 40s. So, if you look at everything on paper, it leans toward Conor McGregor."

Still, none of that changes the fact McGregor is approaching his first professional boxing fight and facing off against one of the greatest defensive boxers ever, who also hasn't lost in 49 professional bouts.

And clips from McGregor's training have arguably hurt the perception of his ability in the ring:

Particularly those who backed McGregor shortly after the fight was announced could pad their bank accounts if McGregor is victorious on Aug. 26.

McGregor is the underdog for a reason, though, and him beating Mayweather would represent one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.