A Brief History of Logan Paul Getting His Ass Kicked

During a midwinter appearance on Revolt TV's Drink Champs, former professional boxer Floyd Mayweather casually said that he didn't train at all for his fight against then-UFC Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor. "All I did was pushups and situps. That's all I did," Mayweather said. "Pushups and situps, box a few times, hit the bag a few times [...] Sometimes I wouldn't go to the gym for a week." 

Mayweather, who won the fight with a 10th round TKO, said that he didn't even watch any tape of McGregor's previous fights. "My thing is this: I don't have to watch any footage of a fight because I'm Floyd Mayweather," he said. "Everybody's got to watch me." 

If that's true, then he could probably skip the pushups, forget the gym even existed, and still be fine against Logan Paul. According to TMZ Sports, Paul is trying to set up a fight against Mayweather, the undefeated (50-0) eleven-time five-division world champion. Paul, a YouTuber who is basically what would happen if a drawing of a dick on a school binder got its wish to become a real boy, told the outlet that he "can't say shit right now" about whether or not the bout is happening. The Fighting News' Mike Feinberg, though, insists that Mayweather has "officially" signed a contract to get in the ring. 

The fight is expected to be an exhibition and not a sanctioned fight, which means that it wouldn't affect either man's record and, in a bit of good news for Paul's prefrontal cortex, it also means that the fighters are allowed to wear larger-than-normal gloves and protective headgear. The upcoming fight between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. has been classified as an exhibition, as was Mayweather's last fight against undefeated kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa. 

It took Mayweather just over two minutes to knock Nasukawa down three times, which was enough for a first round TKO. Most of us have struggled harder to open a jar of store-bought marinara than Mayweather did getting that knockout—so good luck, Logan! 

"The level that Mayweather has reached in the game is obviously top tier," Nicco Diaz, a New York City-based boxing coach told VICE. "You don't get to that level easily. That's decades of work he's put in, and he never really got out of shape. Even with what may be a bit of rust, his ring IQ and the fact that he's stayed in good form, he could win that fight [against Paul] tonight." 

Paul has had one amateur fight and one professional bout as a cruiserweight. He fought fellow YouTuber KSI both times, and he didn't win either one. Vox described their first fight, a majority draw, as a "flawlessly executed circus of bullshit." The second, which took place 14 months later, was more of the same, except this time Paul lost. 

Although KSI dominated the first three rounds, Paul fucked up a good fourth round by hitting KSI while he was on the mat. He was docked two points, which was enough to give KSI a split-decision win after six rounds. (Paul appealed the points deduction with the California State Athletic Commission, but his appeal was denied. "I quite literally only lost because of my actions," he said in a rare moment of self-awareness.) 

As satisfying as it is to see Paul get punched in the face (the main appeal of the recent remake of Valley Girl is that it features Paul getting a blow to the nose), he hasn't boxed since last November. According to Sporting News, he got "knocked out cold" during a spring training session with UFC fighter Paulo Costa. He also spent several months trying to schedule… something with Antonio Brown, the embattled former NFL wide receiver. The fight never went beyond social media shit-talk, a threatened lawsuit from Brown, and Paul's truly unfortunate diss track. ("You ain't caught a pass in like so long/Dropped from your team, boy you're done for.") 

"It's not happening," Paul said in the spring. "He DM'd me, and he said something like, 'I'm expecting a national apology [for the track].' And I said, 'I'm sorry you're a bitch.' I really am, that dude needs help." 

Earlier this month, Paul issued a press release, teasing his return to the ring in a "major event" that could take place sometime this winter, so he might've been laying the groundwork for this whole Mayweather thing. It also means that he has several months to, you know, maybe realize that it might be a terrible idea. 

Some boxing insiders certainly think it is. "It’s scary how bad Logan’s stamina is, and it might be a mistake for him to fight someone like Mayweather," Boxing News 24 wrote. "Logan’s gas tank was running on empty after one round [against KSI]. It was pathetic."

WBC Silver Lightweight Champion Ryan Garcia doesn't seem to think Paul has a chance either. "Logan Paul is fighting Floyd Mayweather," he tweeted. "Prayers going up for Logan." And KSI just thinks it's all bullshit. "My thoughts on Floyd Mayweather vs Logan Paul," he wrote, attaching a picture of a cap. 

Diaz, who said he watched both of Paul's previous fights, was slightly more measured in his assessment. "Honestly, I see zero chance for him with one of the top, if not the top pound-for-pound fighters," he said. "I think Logan will demand more of Mayweather's attention than Nashukawa, but if Floyd goes back to his aggressive ways, he could definitely get him out by the first round. It's all about what kind of fight this becomes. If Logan comes out and tries to box, he loses easily. If he tries to make it a dog fight, he may survive a bit longer." 

Either way, he should probably wear the headgear.