YouTuber Logan Paul, 26, came to the fight Sunday night hoping for an upset, a knockout of legendary boxer Floyd Mayweather 44. On his part, the undefeated former champion explicitly promised fans a knockout of the celebrity YouTuber.
Paul came in Friday at 189.5 pounds, while the 44-year-old Mayweather, who has been retired since a 2017 fight against UFC superstar Conor McGregor, weighed in at 155 pounds.
This weight difference is just one of the weird things about this exhibition boxing match at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, FLorida. The Florida State Boxing Commission did not sanction the fight, there were no judges (only one referee was present) and no official winner was named.
Paul unloaded in the opening round, as Mayweather played defense and waited for Paul to exhaust himself. By Round 4, Paul was slowing and hugging while Mayweather got more aggressive.
In total, Mayweather landed 50% of his jabs and 39% of his power shots, while Paul only managed to land 10% of his jabs and 15% of his power shots. Mayweather threw 107 punches overall, landing 43 of them (40%). Paul threw more than twice as many punches (217), but landed only 13% of them (28).
By the end of the 8-round fight, the reaction on social media range from bafflement to mockery to amusement. Logan Paul hugged Mayweather so much that a deluge of memes of both of them making out circulated and trended online throughout the night.
Reacting after the fight Mayweather said: "I had fun. You gotta 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, [Paul]'s better than I thought he was."
Commenting on Paul's performance, Mayweather said: "As far as with the big guys, the heavyweights, it’s gonna be kinda hard, but he’s a tough, rough competitor. It was good action. Had fun, and I was surprised by him tonight. Good little work. Good guy."
Paul on his part seemed content with the opportunity to fight with the undefeated former champion. "I don't want anyone to tell me anything is impossible ever again," he 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. 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."
WATCH the fight above via Sky Sports YouTube.