One of the greatest boxers in history is coming out of retirement to go to head-to-head with… a Youtube star. Floyd Mayweather announced on Dec. 6 that he will be stepping into the ring for an exhibition match against Youtube personality Logan Paul in February 2021.
Paul, whose brother Jake Paul recently fought against ex-NBA player Nate Robinson, will be using this as another way to stay in the limelight. He has had a bad reputation in recent years following the release of a video where he filmed himself in Japan’s sacred Suicide Forest.
This matchup is anything but exciting and is obviously a payout for both participants. Paul calls himself a boxer with only two fights on his record: a tie and a loss against fellow Youtube star KSI. He is a cruiserweight and will have about a 50-pound weight advantage, but it doesn’t matter much when you’re going up against an actual boxer who has 50 fights under his belt without a single loss. Mayweather has 27 knockouts and an additional 23 wins by decision. Paul is asking to show the world a dead body that isn’t just on his Youtube channel.
The boxing world is also taking a step back and sending a message that it’s no longer about talent, but about recognition and celebrity status. The last big name fight that involved Mayweather was the 2017 matchup between him and former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor. Following the win against McGregor, Mayweather announced that it was his last fight.
There’s a huge difference between seeing McGregor take on Mayweather and seeing Paul take on Mayweather. McGregor was a professionally trained MMA fighter while Paul is essentially a businessman. UFC president Dana White gave some of his thoughts about the matchup on a Twitch stream shortly after its reveal.
When people ask me what’s the state of boxing right now, that’s where it’s at.”
Dana White
The fact of the matter is that this fight is being allowed to happen because the boxing world needs the revenue. Most fights equal a loss in income for partners and big money purses for the boxers. It’s costly to cover a show’s expenses without the income of big names in the lights and pay-per-view pre-sales. It’s not that fans wanted this fight, but rather boxing needed this fight.
Photo: Logan Paul via Instagram
