Even -1600 favorite Floyd Mayweather admits it, he says Sunday’s fight with YouTuber Logan Paul is “legalized bank robbery”.
‘Money’ retired from the ring in 2017 with a 50-0 record, as one of the best fighters in boxing history.
But the PPV megastar has been enticed back inside the ropes by the prospect of another huge payday – and what he believes is the easiest of money.
Mayweather, now a grandfather, is giving up 18 years in age (44 against 26) and around 50lbs in weight. But he says despite that, Sunday will be simple for him.
He said: “This is a YouTuber, come on now this is a YouTuber. I believe in working smarter, not harder. So if it’s something easy like this, a legalized bank robbery, I gotta do it. I have to do it.”
That one quote sums up the MO of Mayweather throughout his career – fight the right man at the right time. He believes there is no wrong time for this one – a showdown with a man who has had one professional fight. A loss. To a fellow YouTuber.
Mayweather vs Paul circus
The build-up to Mayweather vs Paul has, as expected, been a circus. Helped considerably by Logan’s brother Jake stirring the pot.
When the two fighters came face to face at fight venue Hard Rock Stadium in Miami recently, it was Jake who really lit the blue touchpaper by stealing Floyd’s baseball hat and causing a near riot.
The bout is expected to drive millions of pay-per-view buys for Showtime ($49.99) and millions and millions of dollars more into Floyd’s bank account.
It’s unusual for a fight – even an eight-round exhibition – to take place on a Sunday evening. But Floyd has a reason for that. He wants everybody home for this. Ever the businessman.
Even at -1600, easy money?
If you believe this is genuinely as big a mismatch as it appears to be (Floyd clearly does), then even -900 odds (with bet365) are easy money for regular bettors. What bank gives you 10% interest literally overnight?
We’ll find out Sunday night how real the beef is, how real the fight is, and how easy that money actually is. Coverage of Mayweather vs Logan Paul starts Sunday June 6 at 2000 ET/1700 PT on Showtime pay-per-view.