I hope you weren’t expecting Gatti-Ward or Corrales-Castillo.
Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul was meant for a few giggles on a boxing-less Sunday evening. Maybe a couple of good fights on the undercard. Some sideshow Chad Ocho-Cinco curiosity in the opening bout. Some harmless fun-- if 50 bucks spent is “harmless” to you.
Anyone expecting to see a fierce competitive battle in the main event was either water-head dumb or flat-out mental. And I think we all kind of knew that Mayweather will be Mayweather-- playing things safe and secure-- even against a a great white no-hope like Logan Paul.
And it’s not like Showtime, Fanmio, or the event’s advertisers were blowing smoke up the fans’ asses. One of the evening’s main sponsors, Draft Kings, billed the exhibition in its ads as “One of the greatest fighters of all time versus that guy from YouTube.”
So, if anyone came into “Bragging Rights” expecting something different than what we got, that’s on them.
From my end, all I know is that, from where I watched the fight, the living room was full of teenagers curious about how Logan Paul would do against Mayweather, teenagers who would usually be far, far away from any typical boxing fight night. That’s a plus that, if boxing can’t do anything with, it serves as testament to their complete and total ineptitude or indifference in pulling at potential new fans.
That a fight like this pulls in new eyeballs and fresh faces is indisputable. The boxing bossmen have just not figured out a way to convert the newcomers to actual fans. That’s not the fault of the hype men who bring in the bodies. It’s 100% failure on the part of the boxing establishment.
As for the fight, itself, well...Mayweather carried the big lug. If Floyd had amped things up even by a bit, he could’ve taken Paul out of there early. People will say that Mayweather is Mayweather and that he plays things safe. Or maybe he’s playing this wisely. He’s refraining from beating the holy dog shit out of guys so it won’t be quite so hard to bring in future opponents. Some celebs may prefer not to be humiliated and hurt in “fun” showcase exhibitions.
This is Mayweather’s business now. Exhibitions. Like it or not, buy it or not, it simply is what it is. And we will see him face a series of bankable B-sides from all walks of entertainment and the sports world for as long as there’s a market to see him fight these B-sides. That’s neither good nor bad. As I said, it is what it is and the consumer can decide to buy or not.
But, no matter what happens, what Mayweather does in this exhibition run (as well as what other legends and celebs do in their own exhibitions) is not going to “ruin” boxing or make things any worse than they are now. Consider all of this apart from the main boxing body. Although, if done right and worked with the right angles, they could do some considerable good for the sport
But we know the chances of the boxing bossmen getting things right are slim to none. And, of course, the “real” fans are supposed to want boxing small, cozy, inaccessible to outsiders, anyway...so they can bitch about the business not being able to generate interest and money for the "big" fights. Heaven forbid someone does something outside the box in boxing.
Yeah, Mayweather-Paul was a money grab-- just like all of boxing...all of sports...and most everything in the business world. If you’re not trying to make as much money as possible for what you do, you’re doing something wrong.
If people find exhibitions like this entertaining enough to purchase, then let them spend their money however they like, let them enjoy what they want. As long as everyone comes into these things with eyes wide open, let them be.
I’ll keep watching Mayweather exhibitions, just for the curiosity factor and because I like boxing in all its shapes and forms. If you can honestly say that you’re not the least bit curious about the exploits of one of the sport’s most compelling characters and accomplished fighters, I call into question whether YOU are a real fan.
The Mayweather-Paul card was worth the money, if you thought it was worth the money. And it was entertaining if you were entertained. It’s as simple as that.
Got something for Magno? Send it here: paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com