The other day in Miami, former world boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. and YouTube star Logan Paul finally met in the boxing ring. The fight was an exhibition, so it was possible to win it only ahead of schedule. Everyone expected a knockout from Mayweather, but Paul survived all eight rounds. Did Floyd succumb? For him, the result of the battle did not seem to matter. The show attracted a lot of attention, with broadcast sales breaking all records. The richest athlete of the decade just got richer. In this article, you will find out who needed this fight, what preceded it, and why the legendary boxer did not cope with the blogger.
“He Doesn’t Know Who He Is Entering the Ring With”
Mayweather and Paul were supposed to meet in the ring on February 20, but a pandemic prevented this legendary event. The appointment of a new date for the fight was delayed for more than a month, which caused a fair amount of irritation among the fans. However, the postponement was only beneficial – it was possible to warm up the interest in the event as much as possible. Not only the organizers and sponsors worked on this but also the participants themselves.
The latter did not find it difficult to do so. The undefeated Mayweather (with a professional record of 50-0) was always in the spotlight, and Paul was helped by his growing audience on YouTube every day. Now, his channel has 23 million subscribers. Although the American shoots videos not only on sports or sports topics, they perceive him precisely as a boxer. For Paul, this fight is the second according to the rules of boxing. In 2019, he lost to another blogger, Briton Olajid Olatunji, known as KSI, by a split decision. The rivals have already agreed on revenge. Pop-boxing, like the best online blackjack casinos in New Zealand, turned out to be extremely popular among fans of shows, bets, and gambling in general.
Retired from Boxing But Not Finished Making Money
Before the fight, Floyd said: “They call me Money for a reason. I have worked hard for many years to reach a certain level. The level at which any fight of mine is a big event. Now I am an advocate of smart, not hard work. Fighting Paul is a very easy task, as a legal bank robbery, so I couldn’t refuse it. I have to do it and I will do it.”
He reasoned about the same in 2018, when he earned nine million dollars in 140 seconds of a show duel against the Japanese Tenshin Nasukawa. A year earlier, before his last professional fight, he faced Irish mixed martial artist (MMA) Conor McGregor and received a record 275 million in 36 minutes.
Long before the fight, the owner of the broadcasting rights hoped to receive at least $200 million from the sale of the broadcast. Those numbers weren’t a hoot: the preliminary PPV revenue was breaking records even before the fight was rescheduled. And then the opportunity to watch the fight was estimated at $20, and the current price tag was $49.99 at once.
By the way, according to the initial agreement, half of this income should go into Mayweather’s pocket along with a guaranteed royalty of ten million dollars. “I’m done with boxing, but I’m not done making money,” the richest athlete of the decade confirmed. On the other hand, Paul will receive only ten percent of the channel’s proceeds and $250,000 from above.
Nobody Wants to Fight a Random Guy From the Street
The announcement of the fight provoked an ambiguous reaction – but it rarely happens otherwise with such events. Here’s what famous boxers think about this fight:
- World champion Saul Alvarez lashed out at Mayweather and Paul with criticism, calling the fight a disrespect for boxing and boxers. “You know, it’s only a matter of money. I don’t think we will agree that basketball players, YouTubers should get boxing licenses. This is a very risky sport,” the athlete said.
- Another fan of the show, former undisputed world champion Mike Tyson, also made his prediction for the fight. “Floyd is going to kick Logan’s ass. But it won’t be easy anyway. Logan is about to fight back. Maybe Floyd will let Logan hit him a couple of times to make the show look good. There is always danger when two men enter the ring. Anything can happen,” the athlete said. He added that Floyd, despite leaving professional boxing, continues to sweat in the gym, so he should not be underestimated.
Conclusion
After the fight, Paul Logan said that this fight is the greatest moment of his life. “I never want to hear from anyone else that there is something impossible. The YouTube star also said that he is glad to have shared the boxing ring with one of the greatest boxers of all time. As you can see, such fights can be not only entertaining but also motivational.