Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul Live Blog: Results, Highlights and Analysis

Logan Paul lasted eight rounds in an exhibition fight against Floyd Mayweather. No official winner was declared, but on a pay-per-view built around bragging rights, Paul walks away knowing he went the distance.

This was a sparring match for Mayweather, and he leaves without a bump or bruise. He also exits as an even richer man than he did when first walking into Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, expected to make more than $50 million for this spectacle. But this was far from the best look for the sport, and the lack of any sort of a convincing finish will hurt Mayweather if and when he attempts another pay-per-view exhibition.

This fight needed to feature knockdowns or a knockout. It had neither. Not that there were any grand delusions that this was going to be the second coming of Ali-Frazier or deliver a pace like Gatti-Ward, but depending on the round, the exhibition offered little to no action.

The 44-year-old Mayweather is clearly no longer the same explosive fighter that won 50 consecutive bouts, and he looked considerably older than he did in his 2017 victory against Conor McGregor. Paul landed a few shots, though none had any adverse effect on Mayweather. He also grabbed Mayweather whenever he sensed trouble was approaching, using size to his advantage and extending the bout.

Lasting all eight rounds against a great like Mayweather is a real victory for Paul. Yes, Paul is 18 years younger than Mayweather, as well as the bigger fighter—and there are weight classes in boxing for a reason—but considering Paul went the distance, despite having only one boxing match to his credit entering this exhibition, it has to be a real disappointment for Mayweather.

Perhaps Mayweather thought the size difference wouldn’t play much of a factor. Maybe he felt that Paul would crumble as soon as he got hit. It’s even possible that he was distracted by the impending Apocalypse, as, shockingly, Floyd Mayweather did not knock out Logan Paul on pay-per-view.

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We have entered the sixth round, and the inevitable is about to occur. Mayweather ended the fifth round with shots to the body, and it is a matter of time before he decides to finish the fight.

Paul is spent, and clearly, his goal is to finish the fight. Round seven led to the first real tension in the fight, giving hope to the idea that Paul only has to last one more round to finish this fight.

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Paul hit a left hand to open the final round, staying aggressive. But outside of some trash talk, there was no action in the eighth round.

This was an exhibition that was supposed to end with Paul getting knocked out, or at least knocked down. Ultimately, there were no knockdowns or knockouts, which is a significant blow to the bout.

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Mauro Ranallo summed it up perfectly, stating “It would take someone like Logan Paul to make Floyd Mayweather the babyface in this fight.” Long the bad guy in boxing, Paul has definitely owned the spot of villain in the bout.

Mayweather landed a left hook in the third round, then opened the fourth round with a lead left hook. This is the beginning of the end for Paul, who simply cannot do any damage to Mayweather. Paul is fatigued, cannot connect, and Mayweather is just getting started applying his trade.

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Paul opened round two covered in perspiration, yet the story stayed the same as he was unable to do any damage to Mayweather. Content to play possum, Mayweather showed no offense in the second round.

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Round one contained very little action, but it showed that Mayweather is content to let this go a few rounds. The one burst of excitement came in the final seconds of the round when Paul hit a flurry of shots that had no impact on Mayweather. But the crowd lit up for it, and that moment definitely helped add some energy to the bout.

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Wearing a gold-plated Pokemon chain around his next, Logan Paul made his entrance.

Floyd Mayweather arrived in style, with an incredible entourage.

And now… the main event is set to begin.

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Up next: the main event.

There is a narrative at play throughout the broadcast that, if Logan Paul wins, this will be the greatest upset in the history of the sport. Regardless of that hype, the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team can still sleep easy, regardless of the outcome of this exhibition. That is the beauty of the promotion of this spectacle—the key players have worked overtime to make this appear legitimate.

How many rounds will Mayweather let this extend? The card has been good so far, but far from great. Considering Mayweather wants to hold more of these “sports entertainment” type cards, this has to go at least six rounds, and Paul is going to need to work in some offense to make this respectable.

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This was never a fight.

Dervin Colina lasted into the fourth round, but there is no moral victory here. He was overmatched, and he was dropped for the first three times of his career in a dominating performance by Badou Jack.

Jack was never in peril or any sort of trouble. He dropped Colina three times in the fourth round, and his body work was simply too much for Colina. It was only a matter of time before this was over, and with the three-knockdown in effect, it was over when Jack knocked down Colina three times in the fourth round, winning the bout by TKO.

Unfortunately for Jack, this should have been his night against Pascal.

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We have reached the fight before the main event, which features Badou Jack against Dervin Colina.

This was initially intended to be Jack against Jean Pascal, a rematch of the Pascal victory from December of 2019. But that was wiped off the slate when Pascal tested positive for multiple banned PEDs. So, on June 1, it was announced that Colina (15-0) will instead be facing Jack (23-3-3).

Unless the drop in competition causes Jack to let his guard down, this should be a one-sided affair.

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Arias won the first four rounds, but Hurd showed life in the fifth. And he showed a considerable deal of flair in the sixth, capitalizing on an exhausted Arias.

This remained a high-contact fight in the seventh and eighth. The rain restarted in the ninth round, causing Arias to slip, leading to what was ruled a knockdown even though Hurd’s punch missed.

The final round consisted of a counter-attack from Hurd, but it just wasn’t enough. He took punishment throughout all 10 rounds, and though this bout could use a rematch on a dry canvas in a closed arena, Arias did more than enough to emerge victorious.

The judges ruled this fight a split decision in favor of Arias. Hurd took too much punishment, and that was the biggest difference in the outcome. This is a massive victory for Arias, the biggest win of his career.

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Baseball fans will be envious—this rain delay was only a matter of minutes.

As the second round restarted, Arias continued landing shots on Hurd. And even though Hurd busted Arias open with some shots to the forehead, Arias continued the third round by unloading on Hurd. Arias has been successful at making this a messy fight, which undoubtedly favors his style. Hurd is having a hard time keeping his left hand up, and he’s paying the price for it.

Three rounds into the fight, Arias is clearly the aggressor.

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This is a 10-round bout, with an emotional tie-in. Jarrett Hurd is honoring the bout to the memory of his father, who passed away earlier this year, paying his respects to the man who is the reason he became a boxer.

Known as a slow starter, Hurd struggled early. Arias worked the body, looking good in the opening round. The second round has been cut short due to rain. It is raining in Miami, and though the ring is covered, the wind is blowing enough of the rain into the ring. 13 seconds into the second round, Arias slipped, and we are currently in a paused fight.

Somehow, this feels natural for this fight.

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For those wondering, there is some actual sanctioned boxing, performed by legitimate boxers, on this pay-per-view.

The first real bout of the night is a clash between two light middleweights, pitting Jarrett Hurd against Luis Arias. There is a real sense of urgency for Herd (24-1), who wants to make a statement in his first fight since January of 2020. His opponent, Arias (18-2-1, 1 NC), is a veteran coming off a loss. Hurd enters as a massive favorite, and Al Bernstein and Abner Mares are here to call the fight.

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From the NFL to the boxing ring, Chad “Ochocinco" Johnson left an impression.

Standing in the southpaw stance, Johnson landed a quick jab and right hook on Brian Maxwell in the opening round in his pay-per-view boxing debut. The pace was quick-moving, which was expected with only four rounds at two minutes apiece. Johnson controlled the opening two rounds by staying aggressive and sticking to the fundamentals.

While this wasn’t a classic, it was certainly entertaining. The broadcast team of Mauro Ranallo, Desus Nice, and The Kid Mero brought a lot of energy that perfectly complemented the exhibition.

Maxwell dropped Johnson in the fourth round, drilling him with a right hand. That remained the lone knockdown of the fight. But with no winner officially declared, it definitely takes away from the night. Even though it will always be considered an exhibition, I’m surprised that there isn’t a way to declare an unofficial winner just for the sake of the pay-per-view.

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Before we reach Mayweather-Floyd, former NFL wide receiver Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson opens the card against combat sports veteran Brian Maxwell. Johnson’s footwork helped make him special in the NFL, but it is yet to be seen whether that will carry over into the boxing ring, especially at the age of 43.

But on a night where Paul faces off against Mayweather, it feels like this is a very fitting bout to open the show. And yes, Terrell Owens is ringside.

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On Sunday night, Floyd Mayweather makes his return to the boxing ring.

A decorated champion and a fighter possessing an undefeated record (50-0), Mayweather has carved his name into boxing history. But for boxing lovers hoping to see Mayweather face off against a rising star in the sport, or even relive his glory days against a fellow legend, that is not what is in store for this evening’s pay per view. Mayweather meets YouTube sensation Logan Paul (0-1), who has no business in the ring with Mayweather.

Mayweather and Paul will wear 10-ounce gloves and have up to eight three-minute rounds to apply their craft. Though no winner will be officially declared, that distinction will be rendered inconsequential if there is a knockout, which is allowed. And this bout is more than an exhibition, it is a pure show.

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The only way for this to end is Mayweather knocking out Paul. Likely, that will occur after the fight extends into the later rounds. Paul will earn some respect for lasting longer than expected with Mayweather. This should be solid entertainment, a realm that Paul knows well, and the fight will further amplify the reason that the cerebral Mayweather is nicknamed “Money”.

Mayweather has already stated he plans to make between $50-$100 million for this exhibition. Considering the stakes involved in the fight—and here’s a spoiler: there are none—that is absurdly high. He is also wisely tapping into the public’s desire to see these never-before-imagined exhibition bouts, which are expected to continue. Mayweather can also fight Jake Paul, Logan’s brother, and it will be interesting to see if that is teased at all during Sunday's pay per view. This is an incredible way for Mayweather, 44, to stay relevant in boxing, continue to make money, and never tarnish his in-ring standing.

The live blog for Mayweather-Paul kicks off Sunday just before the start of the fight–or, should I say, the show.

Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.