Boxer Floyd Mayweather(L) reacts after a clash during a press conference at Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami Gardens, Florida, on May 6, 2021. (Photo by Eva Marie UZCATEGUI / AFP)
WATCH: Floyd Mayweather scraps with Paul brothers ahead of fight next month
Things kicked off on Thursday after Floyd Mayweather and Logan Paul’s press conference ahead of their fight in Miami next month.
Boxer Floyd Mayweather(L) reacts after a clash during a press conference at Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami Gardens, Florida, on May 6, 2021. (Photo by Eva Marie UZCATEGUI / AFP)
Floyd Mayweather, 44, will return to the boxing ring in June. He will be facing Logan Paul, the YouTube star, in an exhibition match in Miami, Florida. The hall-of-famer ended up in a brawl with Logan’s brother, Jake, at a press conference on Thursday, 6 May.
MAYWEATHER AND PAUL BROTHERS PRESS CONFERENCE BOILS OVER
Mayweather and Logan Paul, 26, will face each other in a pay-per-view exhibition match at the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida.
On Thursday, things got heated after the younger, Jake, 24, grabbed Mayweather’s hat from his head – mid-argument – and made a run for it.
Mayweather and his entourage of security guards chased after the Pauls and punches were thrown during the scuffle.
Jake apparently took offences to comments made by Mayweather at the press conference, when he called the brothers “fake fighters” and offered to fight them both on the same night.
Logan Paul only has one professional fight under his belt, while his brother Jake has three – his most recent bout was against former UFC fighter Ben Askren in April.
Mayweather enjoyed a legendary boxing career with a 50-0 record, including 27 knockouts, before his retirement in 2015. The boxer’s build-up to the fight with MMA star Conor McGregor, who he defeated in 2017, was also a media circus.
Before the brawl broke out Logan Paul told AFP that he believed he could do the unprecedented and defeat Mayweather. “I don’t just think I can beat him. I know I can beat him.”
Mayweather, it seems is not taking the fight as seriously as his opponents’ camp, saying that it’s all about entertainment to the Associated Press.
“Logan Paul is huge on YouTube and he has a huge following. He’s a big guy, strong guy. It’s just fun. It’s entertaining. It’s all about entertainment and, of course, when he’s on social media, he’s entertaining to people all the time,” said Mayweather.
CROSSING THE LINE
After the skirmish, Mayweather accused the Paul brothers of not showing him enough respect. He said he knows how to sell a fight but there are certain things he would not say or do.
“You can’t keep crossing the line, keep touching me, taking my hat off, touching my shoes,” he said to AFP.
“There is a thing called respect and a thing called disrespect. I’m not going to tolerate any disrespect.”
Jake sported a blue eye on Instagram and … and he later showed off a “gotcha hat” tattoo, immortalising the line he said before snatching Mayweather’s baseball hat. He’s since released merchandise with the phrase too.
Mayweather’s former foe McGregor slammed the brawl as embarrassing and dared the boxer to put his undefeated record on the line and fight a “real” boxer. “It’s embarrassing! Pro to pro its embarrassing,” said McGregor in an Instagram post.
“Whatever way you spin this it’s sad. Fight someone for real, on your record, or [expletive] off mate. Slap head!”
