Floyd Mayweather and Logan Paul went eight rounds in a boxing exhibition and the event will go down as one of the most successful pay-per-views in 2021.

Mayweather vs. Paul, which was promoted by Showtime, is expected to break 1 million pay-per-view buys once all of the final tallies are made. Boxing Scene first reported the news earlier this week.

The card was priced domestically at $49.99.

While pay-per-view numbers like this rarely become public information, all signs indicate that this will end up as a huge success for Showtime after Mayweather returned to action to face off with a YouTube celebrity turned boxer in Paul.

The card also featured the boxing debut of former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson, who engaged in a four-round exhibition of his own against BKFC veteran Brian Maxwell.

Following the event, Mayweather spoke about how much money had been generated by interest in an event where the 50-0 boxer took on a much larger yet overmatched foe.

“They say, ‘It’s not all about the money.’ Well, your kids can’t eat legacy,” Mayweather said post-fight. “The patches on my trunks [earned me] $30 million alone.

“So who’s really the smartest one in the sport of boxing? When it comes to legalized bank robbing, I’m the best.”

Despite only possessing an 0-1 record as a professional, Paul still managed to stick around with Mayweather until the final bell.

Because the fight was contested as an exhibition, there were no judges scoring the fight ringside so there was no winner declared at the end. Knockouts and knockdowns were allowed per the Florida State Boxing Commission but neither occurred over the eight-round fight.

This was just the latest success for the Paul brothers — Logan and Jake — who became celebrities through viral videos posted on YouTube and Vine before both decided to take up boxing. Jake Paul recently had his own massive pay-per-view after he knocked out retired UFC fighter Ben Askren in the first round in a Triller event back in April.

The one downside to the news is that Showtime was also bombarded with technical issues on Sunday night due to the immense interest in the event.

The Showtime website and app both crashed repeatedly throughout the card, which had many paying customers upset with the service. Showtime eventually issued a statement acknowledging the technical issues and allowing customers to ask for refunds if the problems prevented them from watching the fight.

How much that will cut into the bottom line for the total revenue generated from the card is unknown, but for now Mayweather, Paul and Showtime can certainly celebrate a successful event.

Author: Staff

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