Floyd Mayweather says exchanging punches with Logan Paul during their eight-round exhibition match on Sunday was “fun.”
“I had fun … He’s better than I thought he was,” Mayweather said after the fight Sunday, saying Paul knew how to use his weight to his advantage. “He’s a tough, rough competitor … I was surprised by him tonight.”
The pay-per-view event from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, which was broadcast on Showtime Sunday, was declared a draw.
The highly anticipated sporting event was marred by technical issues. Some viewers reported having trouble watching the highly publicized fight online.
“We are aware that some customers have been having trouble accessing tonight’s Pay Per View event on SHOWTIME.com,” a spokesperson for Showtime told CNN in an email statement on Sunday evening during the event. “We are working diligently to resolve the issue and will redress customers appropriately.”
Paul was not a newcomer to the ring. He fought vlogger and rapper Olajide “KSI” Olatunji twice, with the first fight ending in a draw and the second ending with KSI winning.
Mayweather is regarded as one of boxing’s all-time greats, having gone undefeated in his career with a 50-0 record.
After defeating Conor McGregor in a fight that Forbes estimated generated more than $550 million in revenue, he retired in 2017. Mayweather reportedly made $275 million in his dual roles as fighter and promoter.
Last year, Mayweather told CNN en Espaol’s Raul Saenz that he was “100% sure” he would never fight another boxer. In 2019, he announced that he would “come out of retirement in 2020.”
Mayweather also stated that he would like to fight Paul’s brother, Jake Paul, in the future.
Jake Paul TKO’d Ben Askren, a former MMA fighter, in the first round back in April. In November 2020, he also defeated Nate Robinson, a former NBA player.