Floyd Mayweather vs Logan Paul LIVE: Updates as boxing legend faces YouTube star in Miami | Boxing | Sport
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The sport of boxing has seen many big-money, big-occasion matchups, but few have been quite like the one we’re about to witness tonight.
There are no world titles on the line. Indeed, officially, there are no professional records on the line.
Instead, tonight’s main event is an exhibition bout between one of the greatest technical boxers in the sport’s history and a young upstart YouTuber with a massive social media following who has only boxed twice in competitive bouts in his life.
It’s the latest instalment of the Floyd Mayweather money-printing bandwagon, as the 44-year-old taps into the lucrative social influencer market for what, on paper at least, should be by far his easiest assignment since this first bout as a professional back in October 1996.
Despite losing his professional debut to fellow YouTube star KSI in November 2019, Paul challenged Mayweather to a fight last year, which was confirmed in December.
The affair was initially scheduled for February 2021 but was postponed until this month due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
Mayweather is set to earn a monstrous payday from the event, with the Hall of Famer claiming he will make over $100million (£70million) for fighting Paul.
He said: “I can fight a fighter right now, and I can guarantee myself $35million. I can eventually probably make $50million for just a regular fight.
“Or me and Logan Paul can go out, entertain, have fun and make nine figures, $100million or more.”
Paul, 26, has been given virtually no chance of success against the boxing icon, but that hasn’t stopped the Ohio native from portraying a confident attitude heading into tonight’s fight.
“People are asking me if I’m like scared. No, no I’m not scared.,” he said
“The feelings I’m getting right now are just excitement.
“I’m excited, I’m blessed to have this opportunity, and I think we’re going to wow a lot of people.
“I just don’t believe I’m gonna get in there and people are gonna see what they expect to see.”
The first fight of the evening will see former NFL wide receiver Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson make his boxing debut.
The 43-year-old will be trying his hand at boxing for the first time.
He has previously trained with Mayweather during the NFL off-season, however.
Ochocinco will be taking on bare-knuckle boxer Brian Maxwell, who has lost his only three previous fights.
Elsewhere, former world champion Jarrett Hurd is expected to pick up a victory over Luis Arias in their middleweight bout.
Hurd, who held the unified WBA (super), IBF and IBO light-middleweight titles between 2017 and 2019, is looking to make his way back to a title fight.
And the 30-year-old is expected to pick up the win against Arias, who is fighting for the first time since 2019, and hasn’t earned a victory since June 2017.
Former WBC super-middleweight and WBA light-heavyweight champion Badou Jack is also set for action on the card.
Jack was originally slated to face fellow former world champion Jean Pascal in a rematch of their 2019 light-heavyweight title fight, which Pascal won by split decision.
However, Pascal failed a drug test in the lead-up to the fight, and has been replaced by undefeated contender Dervin Colina, who has won all bar two of his 15 pro fights inside the distance.
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