By: Hans Themistode
No matter how big, strong and physically imposing Logan Paul may appear, Floyd Mayweather finds the notion of the former YouTuber beating him in a fight laughable. The two are set to face off in an eight-round exhibition contest this coming Sunday at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Florida.
Despite giving up roughly six inches in height, four inches in reach and approximately 30 pounds in weight, Mayweather has stated on numerous occasions that their showdown will only go as long as he’s willing to allow. Meaning, if the newly inducted Hall of Famer chooses to get rid of Paul in the first round, he’ll proceed to do just that. Yet, in the mind of Paul, he doesn’t quite understand what gives Mayweather the right to walk around as if he’s a knockout artist.
While there’s no denying his overall boxing skills, when it comes to one-punch knockout power, Paul has a difficult time giving Mayweather any respect in that category.
“He hasn’t knocked anybody out in a decade and it was Victor Ortiz on some bull shit,” said Paul to a group of reporters. “Who did you knock out Floyd? I ain’t these guys. No offense, Victor is tough but I’m big and I can take a shot.”
The circumstances in which Mayweather stopped Ortiz, was in fact a bit awkward. After being penalized for head butting Mayweather during the fourth round of their contest in 2011, Ortiz attempted to apologize. Although Mayweather appeared to accept his apology, he quickly decked Ortiz when he seemingly wasn’t ready. He immediately hit the canvas and was subsequently counted out.
But while Mayweather wasn’t known for his power throughout his career, he did score a stoppage victory in recent memory. In the 50th and final fight of his career, Mayweather went on to stop UFC star Conor McGregor in the tenth round of their 2017 showdown.
Still, whether it comes by stoppage or not, Mayweather is carrying a major edge in terms of overall skills and experience. For Paul, on the other hand, having lost his pro debut to fellow YouTuber KSI in November of 2019, the 26-year-old hasn’t stepped foot inside the ring again.
With that said, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been training every day to work on his skills. And while he admits that he doesn’t look the smoothest in his training videos, Paul remains confident in what he’ll be able to do come Sunday night.
“I can talk about my skills all day but it doesn’t matter. I can hit pads and look mediocre but until I’m in the ring, until I’m fighting, until I’m sparring – people don’t realize that I actually got good in the sport. People are going to be surprised.”
