MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Logan Paul can say he went the distance with one of the greatest boxers of this era.
The YouTube star took Floyd Mayweather to the final bell on their eight-round exhibition bout at Sunday’s pay-per-view event, which took place at Hard Rock Stadium and aired on pay-per-view. The special rules contest did not feature judges, so no winner was announced.
The first round was Paul’s best work, as he immediately took the center of the ring and began to walk down the 44-year-old Mayweather, who seemed more than OK with not being the more active fighter in the round. Paul unleashed a flurry of punches during the final seconds of round one while Mayweather covered up.
.@LoganPaul dropping some
s here!#MayweatherPaul pic.twitter.com/781OsBEVe7
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) June 7, 2021
From that point on, Paul began to fade due to fatigue, while Mayweather pressured more and more as time went by. Mayweather, smiling and talking trash, walked down Paul and landed big shots to the body and head for the remainder of the contest.
Perhaps surprisingly, Paul did manage to land a couple of clean shots of his own along the way, though he mostly chose to simply clinch and slow the action against Mayweather. Paul also displayed toughness and a great chin, with Mayweather connecting flush to the body and head time after time.
Mayweather controlled the action over the final six rounds and had the vast majority of the best shots in the fight but was just simply unable to knock down or put away the much younger Paul. The 26-year-old was much bigger entering the bout, as well, as he weighed in 189.5 pounds on Saturday’s weigh-ins while, Mayweather stepped on the scale at 155.
Trading blows in round 4
#MayweatherPaul pic.twitter.com/jrAn0Vzo9R
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) June 7, 2021
“I had fun,” Mayweather said after the bout. “You’ve got to realize I’m not 21 anymore, but it’s good to move around with these young guys, test my skills, just to have some fun. Great young fighter. Strong, tough. He’s better than I thought he was.”
Mayweather last fought professionally in a 2017 win over former UFC champion Conor McGregor, improving his career record to 50-0 with a 10th-round TKO win. He remained coy about possible future exhibition contests but didn’t rule out the possibility after what he called a “fun night.”
“We don’t know what the future holds, but I’ll talk it over with my team and see where we go from here,” Mayweather said. “You got to realize, I’ve been in this sport 25 years, and I understand that I’m not 21. I’m not 25. But I had fun tonight.”
Meanwhile, the polarizing Paul said he enjoyed the experience and believes just stepping into the ring with an all-time great was enough to prove his worth.
“I don’t want anyone to tell me anything is impossible ever again,” Paul said. “The fact that I’m in here with one of the greatest boxers of all time proves that the odds can be beat. I’m the maverick. I go right when they go left. I’m the unorthodox one. I’m the independent one, and everyone has it in them, and everyone can beat the odds and do great things in life, and I want everyone to know that. That’s the message I’m here to say.
“Floyd Mayweather, it was an honor.”