Why you should pay £20 for Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor even if you have no interest in the main event

Comment: Mayweather Promotions deserve credit for understanding that their carnivalesque main event is not to everybody's taste and delivering a fascinating undercard

Floyd Mayweather’s Las Vegas super-fight against Conor McGregor tonight may well be poised to become one of the most lucrative fights in the history of boxing, but a large number of hardcore fans have so far stubbornly refused to take the bait.

They fear the contest will be uncompetitive – referring to it either as a ‘freak-show’ or ‘celebrity fight’ – and are more interested in Gennady Golovkin’s lineal middleweight championship showdown with Canelo Alvarez in September, instead.

Understanding that the main event has been met with a mixed reception, Mayweather Promotions deserve credit for delivering an undercard which includes two title fights among the four televised contests that will precede the main event.

“What a night this will be for fight fans,” said Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe in the press release that accompanied the reveal of the undercard. “Not only will they witness a first of its kind main event, but they will also see two incredible world title fights, as Mayweather Promotions' very own current and former world champions go head-to-head in separate bouts.”

The highlight of the undercard – especially from a British perspective – is undoubtedly Nathan Cleverly’s light-heavyweight showdown with Badou Jack. Cleverly will be making the first defence of WBA title but is the underdog heading into the fight, as Jack moves up a weight class following his majority draw with WBC super-middleweight champion James DeGale.

Jack may well be the favourite but, at 33, will need to get to grips with his new weight class quickly. And then there is the fact Jack has never been a hugely powerful puncher, not even at super-middleweight. He last stopped an opponent in 2014, while Cleverly – the bigger man – has only been knocked out once in his career, by Sergey Kovalev a year previous. It promises to be a true war.

Meanwhile, Steve Cunningham’s fight against Andrew Tabiti for the vacant USBA Cruiserweight title is another contest that will please hardened fans of the sport. Cunningham may be 41, with only one victory in his last four fights, but he’s a legend of the sport and famously dispatched Tyson Fury to the canvas in the second round of their 2013 clash.

The popular American is by far the hardest opponent rising star Tabiti has ever fought. The unbeaten cruiserweight, who has a professional record of 14-0 2KO, should win, but it will be fascinating to see how the 27-year-old performs against a true great.

Cunningham held the IBF cruiserweight title twice between 2007 and 2011 (Getty)

Perhaps the only real misstep is Gervonta Davis’ clash with Francisco Fonseca, which headlines the undercard. Davis is a talent, no doubt, and the 22-year-old should be well known to British fight fans after knocking out Liam Walsh in the third round of their fight at the Copper Box Arena earlier this year.

But Fonseca should pose Davis no problems, and has only had one fight scheduled beyond eight rounds in his professional career. Davis will not only win, but win easily.

And it's a shame that Davis missed weight on Friday, meaning that the contest is no longer for a world title.

As a whole, however, the undercard crucially caters to long-term boxing fans, before the carnivalesque main attraction of Mayweather vs McGregor. And with the entire evening priced at an eminently affordable £20 in the UK, August 26 represents serious value for money.