Mayweather vs. Paul: Is it Much Ado About Nothing?

Floyd Mayweather and Logan Paul will be boxing an exhibition on February 20.

Won’t they?

Right now there doesn’t seem to be any information on where this bout is going to take place, how many rounds it’s going to be, or what kind of rules are going to be in effect. Remember that when Mike Tyson and Roy Jones had their bout outside of L.A., the California commission was quick to point out that it would stop the proceedings if it looked like someone was going to get knocked out, or words to that effect.

If there aren’t going to be any fans allowed, having it in California isn’t really beneficial. If they want to go to some “Wild West” boxing state like Kansas or Missouri or Wyoming, they can pretty much force the commission to capitulate to whatever they want to do. Or they could go to some out-of-the-way place where a casino will pony up some money.

As a general rule for stuff like this, the less regulation the better. But that’s their business, not mine.

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There is some information, we suppose, from various people who follow YouTube and Instagram “celebrities” about the purse structure. This report says that Mayweather will receive a guaranteed $5 million, with 50% of the pay-per-view sales, with Paul receiving a $200,000 guarantee and 5% of the pay-per-view.

Where the other 45% is going, I have no idea. But I don’t necessarily believe those figures anyway. Mayweather and Paul are getting guarantees? From whom? Are they getting paid from a company that is looking to hit the mother lode, as Triller supposedly did?

My own impression of this is that it’s ideal as a partnership of sorts between Mayweather and Paul, with a strong emphasis on the back end. Yes, Floyd has made the craziest money anyone has ever made in boxing. But this particular spectacle wouldn’t even exist without Logan Paul, who brings 22.6 million followers to the table. I just watched a video where he brought $150,000 in cash to a guy’s house to buy a Pokemon card.

And so the idea that he would be settling for $200k and a 5% back end is kind of silly to me.

I don’t know that this event is salable on the basis of Mayweather’s participation. Do you think real boxing fans are going to line up to buy it?

I doubt it. I think Logan Paul’s fans are going to want to see it just because, well, they want to see it.

At the same time, they won’t mind saving a buck or two.

So you’ve got “Early Bird” pricing on this, which is an interesting concept that I haven’t seen a whole lot of in boxing. You can get it for $24.99 until the one-millionth pay-per-view subscription is sold. After that it’s $39.99, but only through December 28. Between then and February 10 it’s $59.99, and then up until fight time it is $69.99.

So get those tickets right away.

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This webcast is being carried over a platform called “Fanmio,” which is basically a way for celebrities and/or people with sizable followings to bring those “fans” together and make some money.

And that’s the name of the game here.

In terms of the way a guy like me sees this, well, I would tend to agree with promoter Eddie Hearn, who would know a thing or two about promoting something like this since he did Logan Paul’s previous pro fight against another YouTuber (which he lost).

Hearn wonders where the real hook is with this; the “narrative” as he put it. And he’s right.

At least with the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones encounter, some fans were titillated by the proposition that, even if by accident, a “fight” was going to break out.

That’s really not possible here. You can’t really promote that this could wind up as a “real” fight – not with a guy who is 0-1 against other YouTubers. Sure, you could construct a story where it is pointed out that Logan is much bigger, but the weight “advantage” will wind up only 25 pounds, and the skill difference trumps that by a mile. And yes, Floyd will “carry” him as much as he needs to.

Either way, it’s not going to be the most entertaining thing in the world. Because the bottom line is that it’s an exhibition.

Many years ago, I was running a public relations firm that was involved with boxing. One of our clients was a promoter, and another was a 41-year-old orthopedic surgeon who had about ten pro fights. My partner, a relative newcomer to boxing, handled the surgeon’s account.

On one show, the promoter had arranged a three-round exhibition between the surgeon and Roberto Duran. Of course, we got the guy a lot of press and he invited all his friends in from out of town for his big fight with the Hands of Stone.

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My partner couldn’t contain his excitement. He thought the whole thing was for real. I sat him down and told him, gently and well in advance, “I want you to understand something going in. This is an exhibition. NOTHING is going to happen.” He was, unfortunately, too far gone by that time.

So these guys get in the ring, and in the first round, Duran, who was still in the process of getting into shape, threw a very lazy jab to the mid-section that, well, sort of doubled up the surgeon and sent him to the ropes. For the remainder of the three rounds, Duran was quite apprehensive about throwing anything resembling a punch, and so they just kind of circled each other.

My partner was beside himself, upset with the surgeon at the absence of activity. I looked at him and said, “You shouldn’t be surprised. I TOLD you nothing was going to happen!”

It didn’t resonate, and it kind of soured him on boxing. What a shame.

The moral of the story? Don’t be surprised if nothing happens.

And please don’t get angry about it.

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