A month before he returns to the ring at age 44 for an exhibition bout, Floyd Mayweather wound up in a brawl.
Key points:
- Floyd Mayweather and Logan Paul faced-off ahead of next month’s fight
- A brawl broke out after Jake Paul, there to support his brother, took Mayweather’s hat
- Jake Paul was later seen online having an eye injury as he promoted his new ‘Gotcha Hat’ merchandise
The boxing Hall of Famer will face YouTuber Logan Paul in a pay-per-view event on June 6 at Hard Rock Stadium in Florida.
But on Friday, he unexpectedly squared off with Paul’s brother, Jake, who prompted the scuffle when he took Mayweather’s cap.
Apparently enraged that Mayweather called both Pauls “fake fighters” and offered to take on both on the same night, Jake Paul confronted the former champion.
In what appeared to be a staged get-together, Paul grabbed Mayweather’s white baseball cap and “security” jumped between the two as Mayweather surged toward Paul.
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Before the scuffle, Mayweather faced off with Logan Paul ahead of next month’s exhibition fight.
As Mayweather was speaking, Jake Paul walked up to the stage and untied one of his shoelaces.
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Jake Paul was back on the internet soon after the brawl, sporting an eye injury as he spruiked his new line of ‘Gotcha Hat’ merchandise and showing off his new ‘Gotcha Hat’ tattoo.
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Mayweather had a 50-0 record with 27 knockouts during a career in which he won world titles in five weight divisions over three decades.
Among the opponents he beat were Canelo Alvarez, Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya before he retired in 2015 — though he stopped mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor in 2017.
“I don’t have to talk about what I’m going to do. The world knows what I’m going to do,” Mayweather said. “I’m willing to fight both in the same night.”
YouTuber turned boxer
In the 26-year-old Paul, Mayweather will face a star created on the internet.
Followed by more than 20 million people on YouTube, Paul began boxing in 2019 with a six-round bout against fellow YouTube star KSI.
A former high school wrestler, Paul will have a 15-centimetre height advantage over Mayweather, but obviously gives away plenty in ring experience and mastery.
Reuters: Tom Jacobs
)“Logan Paul is huge on YouTube and he has a huge following. He’s a big guy, strong guy,” Mayweather said.
It is uncertain if Mayweather was referring to the altercation with Jake Paul as entertaining, too.
“I just feel inspired,” Logan Paul said.
“I want to beat the shit out of him. I really do. This fight means so much to me. To my fans. To my family. To everyone watching who thought they couldn’t do something in life. That’s the energy I’m going in with. Everyone says this is impossible. Well, it was impossible that I got this fight.”
The undercard will feature heavyweights Jean Pascal against Badou Jack, and super welterweight Jarrett Hurd vs Luis Arias. Former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson will make his boxing debut.
Logan’s brother Jake is also a YouTuber-turned-boxer who last month knocked out former MMA champion Ben Askren in the first round.
Reuters/ABC
