Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul Set for June 6 – Will Boxing’s Greatest Mismatch Tank?

Boxing icon Floyd Mayweather Jr. meets YouTuber Logan Paul at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on June 6, 2021.

Mayweather took to his Instagram page on Tuesday to confirm the rescheduled date.

The Mayweather vs. Paul fight was initially set to go down in February, but was postponed due to “business complications”. It was rumored that poor ticket sales and a general lack of interest led to the fight being pushed back to a later date. 

The five-time world champion teams up with Showtime, who will broadcast what is the greatest mismatch in professional boxing history. Mayweather (50-0) will step in against Paul (0-1), who has just one “professional” fight inside the squared circle. That bout was against fellow YouTube star, KSI, in November 2019.

Logan Paul is hoping to trump the success of his brother, Jake, when he takes to the ring against the five-weight world champion this summer.

But there is reason to believe that just will not happen.

June’s fight is being labeled as a “special exhibition.” 

At the time of writing, the full fight details for Mayweather vs. Paul have yet to be confirmed. It’s likely that both fighters will wear ten-ounce gloves, but the number of rounds in the fight is anyone’s guess.

Mayweather’s last exhibition was against Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in 2018, and that was a three-round affair. Mayweather vs. Paul should be at least six rounds, with standard boxing rules applying. According to a release from Showtime, celebrity media platform Fanmio will announce the relevant details soon.

Fanmio is advertising the fight on its website and has listed the cost of one pay-per-view at $49.99. Included in the price is a special Mayweather vs. Paul t-shirt, as well as a chance to win a meet and greet with both competitors.

Fans will be in attendance for the fight in Florida and organizers will be hoping for a packed house. They will be looking to the 15,000 fans that squeezed in for UFC 261 in Jacksonville, Florida, recently with optimism.

Let’s be honest. This “fight” is a cash grab without ski masks and guns.

Therefore, it was not surprising to see the initial date for Mayweather vs. Paul fall apart in February around the same time that rumors of poor ticket sales came to the surface.

An ambitious PPV model introduced in 2020 ahead of the fight caught the attention. In a nutshell, it allowed fans to save money by purchasing the fight early. The quicker you acted, the cheaper the cost of watching Mayweather vs. Paul would be. 

The fact that this pricing system is not available for the rescheduled bout hints strongly at poor ticket sales being behind the cancelation. Which is completely untrue, if Paul is to be believed. 

The YouTuber hit out at claims that the fight was canceled due to a lack of interest while talking on his podcast, Impaulsive, soon after it was put on ice.

Now, there may be an element of truth to the global health situation playing a part in that cancellation. But to believe that pre-sale PPV numbers topped those for Mayweather vs. Pacquiao or Mayweather vs. McGregor are highly unlikely.

It is very possible that Mayweather vs. Paul could fail to be the huge blockbuster both men are hoping for.

Put simply, it appears that fans are growing tired of these “celebrity fights.” More than this, interest in both Floyd Mayweather and Logan Paul is probably not going to be as significant as it was even a year ago. 

Paul’s brother, Jake, is making a name for himself at his older sibling’s expense. Mayweather, on the other hand, has taken advantage of the pockets of fight fans for years. 

While the fight should enjoy some financial success, I’m not expecting it to be something to remember in the future. It’s just another heist on the pockets of the good old public.

One that will be repaid with a fight about as engaging as watching a snail slide over grass. Even with Paul’s trademark “wit.”

**to scale** pic.twitter.com/n2ar0He2oz

— Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) April 28, 2021