Floyd Mayweather is 50-0 and regarded as one of the greatest boxers in history.
Most call him the greatest defensive fighter in the sport of pugilism. He has beaten everyone from Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosley to boxing’s current main attraction, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Mayweather revolutionized the PPV market and it’s never been the same since he “retired”. He has made millions upon millions and he’s not shy about putting it on display.
With all of those accolades and accomplishments, why is he giving the undeserving Logan Paul shine?
Yes, I know the obvious answer. It’s about the money. “TMT” (The Money Team) is a way of life. I get it.
Fighting Manny Pacquiao, Connor McGregor and Tenshin Nasukawa had Mayweather generating more promotion and money in a few hours than most athletes see in their entire careers. Making $9 million in a 139-second exhibition fight in Japan is extremely impressive and speaks volumes about his ability to captivate and command both attention and budget.
I get it.
But the latest artificially manufactured “beef” is something his boxing career and legacy in the sport don’t deserve to be associated with. And by manufactured events, I’m referring to the Paul brothers.
On Tuesday, Mayweather Promotions announced that Floyd would be fighting social media star Logan Paul on June 6th in a Showtime PPV event.
Tabbed as “Bragging Rights” (about what though?), the event isn’t about boxing. It’s an event capitalizing on the social media reach and digital popularity of Logan Paul. Based upon the recent success younger brother Jake Paul had with his Triller PPV event, there’s no denying the money-making potential of this “fight”, errr, event.
Yet this isn’t a fight. This is a straight money play, and I get it.
Boxing, and Floyd in particular, is about money.
The bigger the fight and hype, the bigger the purse. But to allow a wanna-be boxer into a professional ring with one of the greatest fighters of all time is an embarrassment to the sport. All this does is prove that with a strong social media presence, you can surpass professionals who have trained their entire lives.
You don’t need skill. You just need to know how to make and share outrageous and viral worthy videos.
We all know that the Paul brothers couldn’t survive a real fight with a real pro boxer. That’s not even debatable. This won’t be a real contest, yet we know that there’s an audience who will buy it, thus giving all involved what they want.
ROI.
Boxing is perhaps sports’ greatest example of capitalism. Like America, it always puts money and politics first. Now it has taken a detour from the art form to exploit a new revenue stream- boxing entertainment. And it has no one to blame but itself for the rise of PPV weekend warriors like the Paul brothers.
Boxing’s Mistake
For too long, boxing has taken its fans for granted.
Fans have long clamored and begged for the big fights, only to be disappointed by the politics of the sport. Give fans Errol Spence vs. Terrence Crawford, Teofimo Lopez vs. Gervonta Davis and Canelo vs. Caleb Plant, Jermall Charlo or Demetrius Andrade. Those fights alone will push the likes of the Pauls back into their corner and bring the skill, attention, fans, and money back to the sport.
But boxing just can’t get out of its own way, which is why Jake Paul’s fight against Ben Askren did a Jake Paul alleged 1.5 million buys.
Promoters, organizers, and managers had their window of opportunity earlier this year when Mayweather’s original “Super Exhibition” against Logan Paul was postponed due to lack of interest.
The exhibition match featured a hall of famer and a YouTube star with a one pro fight career record.
One…Pro…Fight.
And it was a loss to fellow YouTube star Olajide William Olatunji, aka KSI, who also had zero career pro fights before facing and defeating Paul.
But they whiffed, leaving the door open for Paul’s brother, Jake, to storm right through. He went for Floyd and Mayweather responded.
Why Floyd? Why are you giving shine to those who don’t deserve it?
Jake Paul’s boxing resume is light-years far from noteworthy. In January of 2020, he knocked out Ali Eson Gib in both fighter’s pro debuts. He followed that up by knocking out Nate Robinson in the undercard of the Tyson vs. Jones fight this past November. Most recently, he KOed a horrendously out-of-shape Ben Askren on Triller. That’s two non-fighters and a formerly retired, shapeless MMA fighter.
Yet when Paul calls out the Hall of Famer and he answers?
Not all Money is Good Money
Now, before Mayweather defenders start screaming “live your life!” and “secure the bag!”, let me stop you. Once again, I get it. Being an athlete has a finite life cycle, so you should make all of the money you’re able to while you can. I understand that. But when weighed against reputation and legacy, money should take a back seat.
Remember, not all money is good money.
Floyd Mayweather fighting the Paul brothers is like LeBron James succumbing to the wildly ridiculous taunts from the ever-thirsty, MAGA-loving Colby Covington. Colby is starving for the attention that LeBron could give him, so he stays at it. But LeBron is so far above him that he can simply laugh at the MAGA fighter while signing his next big deal on his way to $2 billion in earnings.
But even more so, LeBron has no need for it.
And neither does Floyd.
Yet he’s a master of this game. He flawlessly executed the strategy with Conor McGregor and will undoubtedly use it again with Logan Paul. If these Instagram flare-ups are table setters, expect the Black-white divide to be exploited shortly.
But at least McGregor was an experienced pro fighter with real fights under his belt.
Floyd Mayweather recognized, and exercised, his power as an athlete to separate from a restrictive power structure and control his future and narrative. He’s a successful businessman and transformed the PPV game to such an extent that no one has been able to duplicate his success.
With that resume, Floyd doesn’t need to quench the thirst of these social media stars. His legacy is too important.
I remember Mayweather Promotions CEO, Leonard Ellerbe, telling us a story about how, in 1996, he and Mayweather missed the bus to the arena in Connecticut, so they had to walk a mile in the sleet and snow to his fight. He said those types of sacrifices helped build the foundation of Mayweather’s hall of fame boxing career.
Floyd, don’t tarnish those sacrifices by giving shine to those who don’t deserve it. Yes, you’ve earned the right to do the things you want to do, so by all means, do you.
But don’t do you at the expense of you.
