Bettors losing interest in Mayweather

Floyd Mayweather is the biggest draw in boxing, but Las Vegas gamblers weren't interested in his rematch with Marcos Maidana.

The amount wagered on Saturday's fight was down significantly across town. Jay Rood, vice president of race and sports books for MGM, said the rematch attracted less than 50 percent of the betting action that Mayweather's fight with Canelo Alvarez drew in September 2013.

William Hill director of trading Nick Bogdanovich described the betting handle on Mayweather-Maidana II as "horrible." The Wynn, Westgate SuperBook, CG Technology and South Point also said the action was light.

"He's a draw, but it's not translating to the betting window," Rood said of Mayweather.

In the past, Mayweather fights have attracted some of the bigger bets made in Vegas. Six-figure wagers were common, with the occasional million-dollar bet. The big money is almost always on the heavily favored Mayweather. The big players have never lost, but not as many of them showed up this past weekend.

"We took a couple big bets on Floyd, but not as many as in the past," said John Avello, executive director of the Wynn Race and Sports Book. Rood said the MGM took a couple of six-figure bets on Mayweather, but not nearly as many as in previous fights.

Mayweather, a minus-600 favorite, improved to 47-0 with a unanimous decision over Maidana. The majority of the bets were on the underdog, which is normal for a fight with a heavy favorite.

Tourists and recreational bettors aren't fond of putting up $300 to win $50. They'd much rather put up a small amount on the underdog hoping for the big payday. That was the case again Saturday and resulted in a profit for the sports books, just not nearly as much they've won on previous Mayweather fights.

"No big bets; no accumulation of small bets on the underdog. No interest," Bogdanovich said.

Named the world's highest-paid athlete by Forbes, Mayweather is a polarizing figure who has been under recent intense scrutiny for his history with domestic abuse.

"Floyd's not the most popular guy," Bogdanovich added. "His fights aren't really exciting. People are tired of it."

Mayweather plans to retire after two more fights.