“I wanted to give the people a show, and he was fighting to survive, as you guys could see”.
Although Logan Paul had a significant size advantage over Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Sunday night, not many pundits expected the YouTuber to go the distance against one of the greatest boxers of all time.
Mayweather tried to put Paul away in the later rounds, but Paul utilized his grappling to great effect, essentially shutting down Floyd’s offense by tying him up in the clinch.
Although it was only an eight-round exhibition match, most fans expected more from the bout and expressed their disappointment on social media. Mayweather admits that he ‘wanted to give the people a show’ but claims Paul ruined the spectacle by ‘fighting to survive’.
“I wanted to give the people a show, and he was fighting to survive, as you guys could see,” Mayweather said following the fight at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida (h/t MMA Fighting). “Every time he would punch, he would clinch. He was the bigger guy, and a little awkward. But his background was in wrestling, so he was good at tying me up. A guy that came in over 200 and some pounds. I came in at 155, but no excuses. I had fun tonight.”
“He can grapple,” Mayweather added. “He’s good at holding. He’s very good at holding. … When a guy over 200 pounds is holding you, I’m trying my best, even though I’ve got a lot of experience, it’s hard to get a heavyweight off you. I fight at welterweight, fighting a heavyweight.”
Paul has called for an immediate rematch, but Mayweather doesn’t seem interested. The 50-0 boxing legend turned 44 in February and admits that it’s unlikely we’ll see him inside the boxing ring ever again.
“There’s nothing really I could do,” Mayweather said. “As you guys could see, he was putting his leg on the rope. He was fatigued. He’s a great grappler. But I’ve been in this sport for so long, and tonight was letting the people see that I’m able to come out at my age, at 44, and sell out 30,000 and still do crazy numbers to where I can make Showtime crash. So I’m truly blessed, and I’m not here to bash anyone. Of course, at my age, I’m not going to perform like when I was 19. I’m not supposed to. It’s all about growth and aging.
“Is my hair going to be all black forever? Absolutely not. When I get old, it’s going to turn all grey. I understand that. That’s a part of life. Am I going to be able to fight like I fought Diego Corrales and Arturo Gatti? Absolutely not, and I understand that.”
Logan’s younger brother Jake Paul treated the exhibition as a victory for Logan, claiming that Logan ended Mayweather’s 50-fight win streak.