New York- I have never bypassed a Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight and will always recognize his undefeated 50-0 career as a top-10 fighter of all-time with a Hall of Fame career. Mayweather was good for boxing, created a buzz and built a legacy as a four-division world champion.
But please Floyd Mayweather don’t fool us again after a Sunday night ego money making eight-round circus Showtime pay-per-view exhibition against Logan Paul, the You-Tube star and a supposed legitimate fighter.
And if you went into your pocket to purchase this nonsense for $49.95, well you were fooled. If you were one of those fortunate to access a stream floating around then you fooled them and saved your valuable money.
No judges at ringside to score a fight. And of course no official winner was declared except for the two showmen that made many look like fools that purchased this garbage and further validates my point about this being another dark eye for boxing.
A dark eye because other legitimate boxing superstars wait in line for a lucrative PPV pay day as a retired Floyd Mayweather Jr. and a You-tube sensation go to the bank. The only legitimate aspect of this promotion was veteran contender Luis Arias (19-2-1, 9 KOs) scoring a 10-round split-decision victory over former unified 154-pound champion Jarrett Hurd (24-2, 16 Ko’s) and that’s the way boxing is supposed to be.
So I hope they don’t do this again. I hope Mayweather and Paul allow the sport of boxing to provide fans with legitimate fights that are worth the purchase.
Then again, this was Floyd Mayweather and he knows how to create a buzz and hype. I would venture to say we have not seen the last of this despite Mayweather saying he is no longer an active fighter.
Yet, Mayweather was fighting Sunday night and fortunate that he avoided a knockdown that would have destroyed his legacy. Though, Mayweather would never say this fight was about his legacy and we know it was all about the money.
So allow me to vent again. Allow me to say this is another black eye for boxing. I am disappointed that Showtime Boxing has gone this route. The reputed network has always delivered great fights and upcoming champions with their SHOWBOX telecasts, but Mayweather-Paul was strictly all business and about numbers.
Instead, Showtime and their PPV division should focus on what is ahead with a huge Summer of championship fights and showcasing the stars of today, including July 26 when Gervonta Davis on PPV defends the WBA ‘regular” junior welterweight title against Mario Barrios.
This a major problem for boxing, though the demographics from a new generation of fans wants to see more of these exhibitions and two You-Tube stars make the transition to a sport that deserves better.
Mayweather is listed by Forbes as one of the 50 highest paid athletes from 2012-15, and said this was not about the money. His motto is ‘give the people a show.’ and of course, Paul, the YouTube star has a million or more followers on social media that was added to the circus all week in Miami for a staged build up to a senseless fight.
A promotion that had every bit of drama that was suited for a WWE pro wrestling outcome on pay-per-view.
Unfortunately, though, the loyal boxing fan will always take an interest in Floyd Mayweather. Instead, the powers that be at Showtime decided to go another route as the major player of putting a reputed boxing network to shame.
Showtime and Mayweather are in that obvious opinion about boxing going in another direction, and to a point the sport has a different demographic that appeals to a younger audience, which leaves a boxing purist like me to not accept what the public got Sunday night.
If you are under the impression that Floyd Mayweather Jr. has returned to make more boxing history, then, you need to think otherwise because it’s all about the money. And the final PPV numbers could come close to rival previous Floyd Mayweather PPV fights with Manny Pacquiao and that other circus with MMA champion Conor McGregor.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. earned another $50 million from this exhibition when the final numbers are calculated. Logan Paul, perhaps half or a little less than that and they achieved their goal.
Yes, they made the loyal and astute boxing fans look like fools. But it seems boxing has gone in the direction of WWE suited entertainment. The promoters need to take notice and deliver legitimate and meaningful fights.
Until that occurs there will be more of this absurd and dark cloud surrounding the sport.
Comment: Twitter@Ring786 Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso
