Why are fans upset about Mayweather's fight with Logan Paul?

Steven Rondina Published 07/06/2021

Logan Paul returned to the boxing ring, but instead of a washed-up crossover athlete or another YouTuber, he faced a bona fide boxing great in Floyd Mayweather.

Though there was a great deal of chatter regarding the possibility of a Logan Paul knockout, the influencer never knocked down or even came especially close to hurting Mayweather. Instead, Mayweather effectively did just enough to make it clear that he’s the superior boxer without putting himself into any risky positions.

Mayweather put in a gentlemanly performance in the first round, effectively letting Paul get some energy out while never committing to any serious counters. Paul took advantage of this with lunging body jabs and a late flurry, but landed nothing cleanly on Mayweather.

SHEESH ???? #MayweatherPaul pic.twitter.com/Xi7DvJbBcD
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) June 7, 2021

The late flurry likely sapped Paul’s gas tank as he was much flatter and more conservative in his output in the second round. Mayweather was still passive in his approach, frustrating the crowd towards the end of the round.

The third round was a messy one as both fighters looked to tie each other up, with the referee quick to warn Paul even as both men aggressively clinched. Mayweather began to open up in the latter half of the round, landing a lightning-quick left hook that flustered Paul. This was followed with some heaters in the final seconds, but no effective follow-up landed.

Trading blows in round 4 ???????? #MayweatherPaul pic.twitter.com/jrAn0Vzo9R
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) June 7, 2021

The fourth round saw Paul land a few good punches, including a big right hook and a couple of good jabs. Paul was already slowing down at this point, which had Mayweather headhunting. The two traded on a few occasions but Paul mostly landed glanced shots off Mayweather’s shoulder while Mayweather landed clubbing shots.

Paul was clearly winded after the fourth and Mayweather knew it, turning up the tempo in the fifth. Mayweather mixed up hard body shots with big lead hooks, and began landing hard counters when Paul tossed looping punches. This took an increasingly large toll as the round went on with Paul taking big, deep breaths after every exchange but he managed to survive the round.

Mayweather was once again on the offensive in the opening minute of the sixth, further sapping Paul’s gas tank by working the body. Paul tried to keep Mayweather honest by pumping a jab, but Mayweather showed it no respect by keeping a high guard, pushing forward, and stinging him with lefts to the body. Floyd landed a firm counter right hand in the final seconds of the sixth, but Paul continued to hang on.

Paul looked to be buying himself time once the seventh started, initiating the clinch early and often. Mayweather continued to respond with counter shots and body work. Paul’s punches were slow to the point where he couldn’t land anything of note, and with the frequent clinching, the crowd became more hostile towards the fighters.

.@FloydMayweather had fun ???? #MayweatherPaul pic.twitter.com/uUwkabMtNO
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) June 7, 2021

The eighth and final round was no different, with Paul stalling for time and Mayweather tagging him up where possible. The crowd wasn’t pleased with it, but that didn’t prompt a change in approach from either man. Things crawled to the final bell, with the fans grumbling both in the arena and at home.

Who won Logan Paul vs. Floyd Mayweather?

Officially, the contest was a draw. The rules of the exhibition match had knockout finishes allowed, but no judges ringside to work the fight. If the fight went the distance, it would go down as an automatic draw.

Here are the stats from the #FloydvsLogan bout ???? pic.twitter.com/PSdeUqIIwI
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) June 7, 2021

Unofficially, it’s a different story. Though Logan Paul defied expectations and earned kudos for surviving the fight, Mayweather looked fresh and was barely breathing heavily while Paul was tagged up and visibly tired. If there were judges working this match, there’s little question that the scorecards would’ve been unanimously and decisively in Mayweather’s favor.

Was Logan Paul vs. Floyd Mayweather boring?

Logan Paul vs. Floyd Mayweather was a generally spirited contest where some hard punches were landed. It was effectively little more than a hard sparring match.

The match itself had some entertaining moments and there were times where both men seemed to be in danger. The last few rounds were a drag though, as Paul was clearly focused on scoring the moral victory of surviving the full eight rounds rather than the actual victory of a knockout. It’s hard to blame him, as his gas tank was sapped by Mayweather’s body shots to the point where scoring a knockout of Mayweather was almost impossible.

Is Logan Paul a good boxer?

Logan Paul is not a particularly good boxer. Some of the criticisms leveled against him are unfair, as the YouTuber has risen to prominence in the combat sports space in a way that is seeing him critiqued against the likes of actual elite boxers with dozens of amateur and professional bouts to their names.

In reality, Logan Paul is still an amateur-level boxer that has enjoyed extra attention due to his YouTube fame. Even if he fully committed himself to boxing, Logan doesn’t seem to have the raw talent that his brother Jake Paul does. Though Jake Paul is unrefined himself, he does have the punching power and fundamentals to potentially become something more like a legitimate boxer.

That said, Logan Paul is tough in a way that has seen him absorb punishment and persevere. Few would have blamed Paul for quitting on the stool on a few occasions during the match with Floyd Mayweather, but he gutted things out and made it across the finish line. He’s also assuredly big and skilled enough to take on almost any of the people that claim they “could take him” on Twitter.

How much did Logan Paul make for fighting Floyd Mayweather?

According to reports, Logan Paul’s guaranteed purse is $250,000 with a 10% cut of pay-per-view revenue. That’s a tidy sum by most standards, but it pales in comparison to Floyd Mayweather’s payday of $10 million guaranteed with a 50% cut of pay-per-view sales.

Exact payouts will come out in the future after sales are finalized. There was speculation that Logan Paul was poised to make about $20 million while Mayweather was set to make $100 million, but odds are that their actual paydays will not come close to those marks.

Steven Rondina

About Steven Rondina

Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.

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