YouTuber Logan Paul said “It was the coolest thing ever,” – after hid fight with unbeaten former five-weight world champion Floyd Mayweather.
Their eight-round exhibition bout was held at Miami’s Hard Rock stadium. There was no winner – no judges at ringside.
Moreover, the fight will not be included in either fighter’s record.
Mayweather dominated the pay-per-view event, without landing a knockout blow.
“Just going the distance was a win for him,” Mayweather said.
“When the money comes, we will see who the winner is,” he added.
Former boxer said he expects to make $50m (£35m) from the event. He even referred to the exhibition as “legalised bank robbery”.
Numerous boxers had criticised the spectacle before a punch had been thrown.
But there was certainly a hype for it – not only from the people who love boxing but from some of Logan Paul’s 23 million YouTube followers.
There was a possibility that the demand might have overwhelmed the servers of Showtime, the service that streamed the fight.
This was because some users were complaining they were unable to view the fight.
But what they knew was that Mayweather – unbeaten in 50 fights, added up to be one of the greatest boxers of all time – hand out a lesson to a man 18 years his junior, 16kg heavier and six inches taller.
A lot of rassling was seen in the middle rounds, but Logan Paul showed his ability to take punishment – and averted Mayweather to end the match early.
Apart from this, Paul’s only other fight was against another YouTube personality, KSI.
Later, Mayweather admitted that he had underestimated Paul. He called him, “a great young fighter, strong, tough” and said, “he’s better than I thought he was”.
“He’s a tough competitor, I’m surprised by him tonight,” he added.
“You got to realise I’m not 21 any more but it’s good to move around with these young guys, test my skills just to have some fun,” Mayweather added, calling the event “a fun night”.
Logan Paul was pleased to have gone the distance. He even performed a post-fight handstand in the ring:
“The fact I am in here with one of the greatest boxers of all time proves that the odds can be beaten,” he said.
“It’s one of the greatest moments in my life.”
Although he added: “I’m going to go home thinking if he let me survive.”
