Not many were expecting YouTube star Logan Paul to last the full eight rounds against five-division world champion Floyd Mayweather in their exhibition fight Sunday night. That he did, though, going the distance in an entertaining bout at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. That's no small feat for the YouTube star who entered this showdown with a 0-1 professional record.
Yes, Paul was the bigger fighter, outweighing Mayweather by 34 pounds during Saturday's weigh-in. But experience clearly favored Mayweather who was undefeated in 50 professional fights. The last time Mayweather fought in an exhibition match against Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa back in 2019, Money emerged victorious, recording a first round stoppage after dropping his opponent three times.
Mayweather "Wins" the Fight
Such was the large disparity in size and experience level between the two fighters that the Florida State Boxing Commission decided not to officially sanction the fight. No judges were present in the exhibition match that was scheduled for eight three-minute rounds. That didn't deter fans from watching one of the biggest boxing bouts of the year.
They were treated to a spectacle as Paul more than held his own against Mayweather with ESPN even giving the second round to the YouTube star in their unofficial scorecard. That being said, Mayweather was clearly the better fighter, taking control of the latter rounds as Paul appeared to tire down the stretch.
Though no winner was announced in this bout, ESPN scored the fight 78-74 in favor of Mayweather. As per CompuBox, Money landed 43 total punches as opposed to Paul's 28. Thirty-six out of those 43 punches by Mayweather were power shots.
Paul, on the other hand, landed 21 power shots. Mayweather chose to attack Paul's midsection, landing 17 body shots that contributed to Paul tiring out down the stretch.
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Logan Paul Exceeds Expectations
It's safe to say that both Mayweather and Paul emerged winners in this contest. Even at the advanced age of 44 and against a much heavier opponent, albeit a YouTube star, Mayweather showed that he still has some of the skills that made him one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
Paul, on the other hand, can claim the moral victory as he avoided being knocked out by the Hall of Famer. Milton Lacroix, Paul's coach, told ESPN in an interview last month that success in this bout would be for Paul to go the whole way. And that's what he did, even landing some combinations against Mayweather along the way.
Even though Paul landed just 13 percent of his punches (28 of 217), the fact that he stood toe to toe with Mayweather for the entire eight-round fight is an accomplishment that he will definitely be proud of.
The ultimate compliment may have come from Mayweather himself, saying "Paul was better than I thought he was and that he was a tough, rough competitor." Paul was obviously ecstatic after the fight, telling reporters that, "I don't want anyone to tell me anything is impossible ever again."
He added that, "The fact that I'm in here with one of the greatest boxers of all time proves that the odds can be beat."
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