The story behind the money belt!

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Bengaluru, August 27: It was virtually a case of hype meeting reality as Floyd Mayweather had the last laugh in his much-touted bout against Conor McGregor.

A little over two months after the fight was confirmed in June, Mayweather and McGregor faced off against each other at Las Vegas's T-Mobile Arena today (August 27) in a 12-round boxing contest that was watched by millions across the world.

With his cornermen decked out in natty grey suits and white shoes, and his two UFC belts held aloft in the ring, McGregor dwarfed Mayweather in height when they met in the middle.

McGregor occasionally strayed into mixed martial arts territory by rounding his opponent and landing strikes to the back of Mayweather's head.

Ultimately, Mayweather's skills proved too much.

To add to the hype, instead of the normal green-strapped belt, the World Boxing Council (WBC) came up with a special and innovative belt, which itself was worth its weight. According to insiders, the belt contained 3,360 diamonds, 600 sapphires, 160 emeralds and approximately 3.3 pounds of 24-karat gold, also featuring the names of both contestants with the leather that came from Italy.

It is more or less similar to the one the WBC created specifically for Mayweather's fight with Manny Pacquiao back in 2015, but this belt bettered that in terms of overall gaudiness.

WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman was candid while admitting the enormity of the 'money belt which has been described as the most expensive belt any combat sport has ever seen in recent times.

"In order to celebrate this event between the WBC hero and the UFC hero, Conor McGregor, the WBC created the Money Belt. It is my pleasure to present, to the winner of this fight, 'The Money Belt.' It's one full crocodile," he said.

Aficianados and fans were spellbound by the belt alike as evident from these tweets.

And finally as Mayweather won the bout and earned his right to wear the gaudy "Money Belt" which had a strap made from crocodile leather, it was poetic justice at Las Vegas's T-Mobile Arena as hype met reality.

Both fighters engaged in a global publicity tour to drum up interest in the fight last month that was marked by a series of lurid verbal exchanges, ranging from expletives and homophobic slurs to allegations of racism.

But as the the big money fight ended finally, it has reiterated Mayweather's credentials as one of the greatest fighters of all times and the new sobriquet 'Money Mayweather' sits well on him as he collected the condemned-by-all-yet popular impeccable treasure trove.