Mayweather vs. Paul was a spectacle – but was it an unsuccessful one for the legendary boxer?
"Money" and "The Maverick" put on quite the show Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
What kind of show, however, is up to interpretation.
Floyd Mayweather and YouTube sensation Logan Paul's "Bragging Rights" exhibition boxing match ended without a winner and with a lot of unanswered questions.
Prior to Sunday’s fight, the legendary Mayweather went as far as to promise fans that he would knock out Paul.
However, Mayweather’s bold prediction didn’t come to fruition, as he and Paul went the full eight rounds.
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.
Paul unloaded in the opening round, while Mayweather played defense and presumably waited for Paul to tire.
By Round 4, Paul was slowing while Mayweather grew more aggressive. According to ESPN, the bout would have ended 78-74 for Mayweather if it had been scored.
In total, Mayweather landed 50% of his jabs and 39% of his power shots, while Paul managed to land only 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).
After the fight ended, Mayweather homed in on the fact that his participation was purely for entertainment’s sake.
"I had fun," Mayweather said. "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."
When asked if he thinks Paul has a future in the sport, Mayweather was on the fence but gave the 26-year-old Internet star some credit in his second career fight.
"As far as with the big guys, the heavyweights, it’s gonna be kinda hard, but he’s a tough, rough competitor," he said. "It was good action. Had fun, and I was surprised by him tonight."
Mayweather took the nonchalant approach, but Paul called it one of the greatest moments of his life and an honor to be in the ring alongside the undefeated former champion.
"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.
"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."
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.
The question now becomes: Was this a victory for Paul by virtue of his not being knocked out? If you ask him, the answer is yes.
Even with Paul's inspirational message and cheeky photo, though, viewers were unsure what to make of the bout.
But the fight was nonetheless a money-making spectacle. Mayweather reportedly made $10 million guaranteed plus 50% of the pay-per-view box office, while Paul reportedly got $250,000 for his efforts and 10% of the PPV sales.
The real money, however, came from the sponsorships attained by both fighters and the publicity garnered from Sunday’s action. Mayweather’s garb alone reportedly made him $30 million, per ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, and Paul could double his net worth by pulling in as much as $20 million after it's all said and done.
At a post-fight news conference, Mayweather changed his tune a bit, referring to the match as "legalized bank-robbing" and telling the media that he could have knocked Paul out if he had wanted to.
"I could have pressed real, real hard and thrown some crazy combinations … His goal was to survive, and that was a win for him. … It wasn’t a real fight. It was like sparring in the gym," Mayweather said, per The Athletic's Mike Coppinger.
Some might say the money was worth it in the end, but as of Monday, others believed it's time for Mayweather to hang it up once and for all.
On "Undisputed," Skip Bayless gave his take on Sunday's action and what he hopes to see from Mayweather in the future, begrudgingly admitting to watching the fight.
"I’m gonna have a hard time getting it out of my memory bank because it might be the last I ever see of Floyd in any kind of ‘fight’," Bayless began. "I would recommend to him: That was not worth it. … I just don’t want to see it anymore … [but] I didn’t mind spending $49.99."
Bayless’ co-host, Shannon Sharpe, agreed that the bout wasn't entertaining to watch and said he too was disappointed in the outcome – or lack thereof.
"This kid [is] 50 pounds heavier than Floyd at the fight. He’s so much bigger. And Floyd is 44 years of age, and the hand speed and the precision is not there anymore. He knows it," Sharpe said. "Paul did land a few good shots on Floyd. … I don’t think it hurt Floyd, but he did land a couple shots.
"It wasn’t entertaining. It was just a bunch of hugging and holding on. Floyd was not gonna take the risk to put himself in harm’s way that way he would need to knock Logan Paul out. … I was disappointed because I thought, even if he didn’t knock him out, I thought [Mayweather] would get a lot more shots than he did on him. I thought the kid did pretty well for himself."
It appears that Bayless' and Sharpe's wish will be granted, as Mayweather told media that he probably won't do another exhibition match and won't be coming out of retirement for an officially sanctioned fight ever again.
But you never know with Mayweather. Because when the money comes calling, Money is usually the first to answer.
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