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If you haven't heard yet, undefeated boxing star Floyd Mayweather Jr. is coming out of retirement to take on YouTube influencer Logan Paul in a “special exhibition” fight in February of 2021. Mind you, this is Mayweather Jr., who many consider as the best boxer of all time.
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Floyd Mayweather Jr. broke onto the scene back in 1996 as a technically gifted boxer who took home the bronze medal at the Olympics in Atlanta. The American ended his professional career with a perfect 50-0 record, with his last win coming against two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor back in 2017.
In his illustrious career, Mayweather Jr. has notable wins against Diego Corrales, Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya, Canelo Álvarez and countless other top fighters. Floyd Mayweather Jr. used his knowledge of the game to take away his opponent's best weapons, and always found a way to come out as the better fighter.
On the other hand, Logan Paul has had just one professional boxing bout against fellow YouTuber KSI. Paul lost that bout by decision.
Given the massive disparity in experience and achievements, this all seems underwhelming, doesn't it?
So, why is Floyd Mayweather Jr., the greatest boxer of the modern times, fighting a YouTube star who has had one boxing bout in his career? Has 'Money' Mayweather fallen on hard times, financially?
Floyd Mayweather Jr. makes a lot of money and spends a lot of money as well
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Floyd Mayweather Jr. is worth around $450 million. Forbes Magazine named him the highest-paid athlete of the decade, earning more than the likes of football stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, NBA champions LeBron James and Kevin Durant, tennis great Roger Federer, and even boxing rival Manny Pacquiao. Forbes estimates that Floyd Mayweather Jr. has earned around $915 million dollars for his performances inside the boxing ring.
However, Floyd Mayweather Jr. is known for his lavish lifestyle. The boxer recently flaunted his watch collection, claiming his favorite diamond-encrusted timepiece costs £14 million alone.
The 43-year-old is also known to be a passionate gambler. However, there are obvious risks to gambling and diaspora7 sources in 2018 believed that the former five-weight world champion is has amassed nearly £40m in debt due to gambling.
Conor McGregor, before the duo fought in 2017, called out the Floyd Mayweather Jr. for his lavish gambling habits, suggesting it could be the reason he is forced to take fights.
He needs to let that gambling go – he’s a bit heavy on that gambling. He’s always talking about doing it and then not doing it. I certainly know he has a big-time gambling problem, from seeing him. He gambles on half-times and things like that. He shows what his wins are, never shows what the losses are. Maybe that’s why he’s in the position he’s in and he had to take this fight. I’m focused on the fight, not gambling.
Rapper 50-cent has also gone on record criticising Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s gambling habits along with his lavish lifestyle:
He gets in an uncomfortable space when he spends the money. He going try to spend it all... the money, the gambling and the girls get him every time.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is always willing to step into the ring for a big payday
While Floyd Mayweather Jr. certainly spends a whole lot, it's highly unlikely that he has gone broke.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s business ventures are underrated, and he's never too far away from wearing his gloves for a payday.
After all, this is not the first time that Floyd Mayweather Jr. is returning for a huge payday either. He came out of retirement for the boxing bout against Conor McGregor, which reportedly earned him over $280 million.
In 2018, Floyd Mayweather Jr. competed in an exhibition bout against Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa, and cruised to a first-round TKO win after scoring three knockdowns. For less than three minutes of work, Floyd Mayweather Jr. pocketed $9 million.
During a recent tour to England, Mayweather Jr. reminded fans, he's always willing to step out of retirement for a payday:
Like I said before, ‘I’m retired but I’m not retired from getting a couple of dollars. So if I’m able to entertain the world and have some fun, and this is easy entertainment and I can make $600 million with two guys [Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor], why not?
Floyd Mayweather Jr. recently introduced a meet-and-greet session partnering with Fanmio, the same platform which will host the upcoming pay-per-view event against Logan Paul. For a video chat session and three limited autographed trading cards, the legendary boxer charges $1600.
Fanmio has a unique model for the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Logan Paul pay-per-view. For the first million PPV buys, fans will be charged $24.99. After the initial million buys, subscribers will then be charged $39.99. The price will once again go up to $59.99 on December 29th, and then up to $69.99 beginning February 11th of 2021.
The boxing landscape has undoubtedly changed, with the exhibition event between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. doing 1.6 million pay-per-view buys. That makes it rank among the top-10 combat sports events in history.
Fans are not just attracted by skill. They are attracted to names, drama, and the stories behind these fights. The fact that a 200-pound man will be taking on 150-pound man, in itself sounds farcical, but a clear sign of things to come.
As UFC President Dana White commented on the event:
When people ask me, ‘What’s the state of boxing right now?’ That’s where it’s at,” White said. “Didn’t that kid get beat up by the (expletive) video game kid from England, and now he’s going to fight Floyd Mayweather?
Yes, he is. And he's going to earn a bagful.
