In early September, Logan Paul sent out a press release to announce that he was about to resume what he optimistically calls "his boxing career," and to report that someone else would soon have the real and exciting opportunity to punch him in the face.
According to Paul, he would be participating in a "major event" this winter, one that would "capture the interest of both hardcore and casual fans of the sweet science." On social media, the word started to spread that Paul was trying to set up a fight with Floyd Mayweather, an undefeated (50-0) eleven-time, five-division world champion. Although it's true that Mayweather is 43 years old and hasn't boxed since he casually dismantled kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in a 2018 exhibition, Paul has lost two fights to a man who appears on the back half of the Baywatch soundtrack. (It was KSI, although we like Lionel Richie's chances.)We spoke to Silverglade about the fight, about what it says about the state of boxing right now, and what Paul should do to keep himself from shitting slivers of tooth enamel until the early spring.
VICE: Given Mayweather's obvious advantages, is this fight a good idea for Logan Paul?
Silverglade: It's a good idea for two people. Nobody else in the world should care about this fight. You can't take someone who's the No. 1 best fighter of his time period and put them against somebody who's never had a fight. Yes, I understand that Logan had an exhibition and a pro fight against a rap star, and that he lost. This fight is for one thing only, and that's to raise money for the two combatants, and everybody else involved with the production.
Still, should Logan have maybe thought this through a little more?
I commend Logan, very much. He's a 25-year-old kid who's a hustler, and I mean that in good terms. He's singing, trying to act, trying to rap, he's on TV, has his own podcast—so hey, good for him. He's out there trying to make a buck, and he's successful at it. You can't get mad at him, but this also has nothing to do with boxing, or a representation of boxing. Do you think fights like this influence how some people perceive the sport right now?
No, I don't think that's the case at all. Boxing is still good. There are still good fights coming up, like this Saturday with [Anthony] Joshua from the United Kingdom. When there are good fights, people watch, the same way they'd watch good MMA or UFC fights. But that's a completely different audience, because the ones who will tune in to see Joshua on Saturday night aren't going to watch Logan Paul. I'm not sure what the pay-per-view cost for that fight will be, but no boxing fan is going to spend that money to see that fight.What's the worst outcome for Logan Paul that night?
Look, any boxer at any ability level who goes into the ring is courageous. It's nerve-wracking and can be scary, and he has to have second thoughts at times, but Mayweather will not seriously injure him. Logan will get hit, and he might get cut, but he's not going to get knocked into oblivion. That's absolutely not going to happen. Mayweather is professional enough to know that if he injured Logan seriously, it would be both a black mark against him and a terrible, terrible thing. He's going to go in there and win an easy fight, and he's going to make...whatever the financial situation is. That's all it is. Logan may or may not have enough self-awareness to know that he's not going to win, but what should he focus on during his training so he can survive as long as he can?
His conditioning. There are so many factors that sap your energy in the ring. There's a tremendous adrenaline rush, and a tremendous fear factor, and both those things can deplete a boxer's energy. What Logan has to do is just be in good condition and circle. He should engage when he can, and stay out of Floyd Mayweather's range. How do you expect Mayweather to approach this?
What Floyd's going to do is probably similar to his last couple of fights: he'll go in there and dance around for the first half of the fight, wait until Logan gets tired, and then he'll throw his punches. That will stop Logan, either by knocking him out, or he'll throw enough punches that the referee stops it. I read that [Paul] is a cruiserweight, which means he'll weigh around 190 pounds. He'll be much heavier than Floyd, but that won't make much of a difference, because Floyd is so much better as an athlete. It's interesting you mentioned the importance of conditioning because that seemed to be one of Logan's most obvious shortcomings in his fights against KSI.
If he's not in good condition, then the fight will just end that much sooner.You're expecting a one-sided fight?
It's a one-sided fight before the first bell rings.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
According to Paul, he would be participating in a "major event" this winter, one that would "capture the interest of both hardcore and casual fans of the sweet science." On social media, the word started to spread that Paul was trying to set up a fight with Floyd Mayweather, an undefeated (50-0) eleven-time, five-division world champion. Although it's true that Mayweather is 43 years old and hasn't boxed since he casually dismantled kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in a 2018 exhibition, Paul has lost two fights to a man who appears on the back half of the Baywatch soundtrack. (It was KSI, although we like Lionel Richie's chances.)
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After months of speculation, and of Logan Paul being insufferably Logan Paul—suggesting that Mayweather hadn't signed the contract because he couldn't spell his own name—those rumors were confirmed earlier this week. Both men have since tweeted the event poster, which lists the February 20, 2021 fight as a "super exhibition." (Being classified as an exhibition means that it would not be a sanctioned fight, it wouldn't affect either fighter's record, and they are allowed to wear heavier gloves.)Of course the fight will be a pay-per-view job, and the prices will range from $24.95 for the first one million people who buy this feel-good comedy, to $69.99 for purchases made after February 11. The other important numbers are from the bookmakers, and some have already listed Mayweather at -100000 to win. Despite the 99.9 percent odds against it, does Logan Paul have any chance of winning this fight? Not according to Bruce Silverglade, the longtime owner of Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn, New York, and a 2015 inductee into the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame. "The only way that Mayweather can lose is if he has a heart attack in the ring," he told VICE.
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VICE: Given Mayweather's obvious advantages, is this fight a good idea for Logan Paul?
Silverglade: It's a good idea for two people. Nobody else in the world should care about this fight. You can't take someone who's the No. 1 best fighter of his time period and put them against somebody who's never had a fight. Yes, I understand that Logan had an exhibition and a pro fight against a rap star, and that he lost. This fight is for one thing only, and that's to raise money for the two combatants, and everybody else involved with the production.
Still, should Logan have maybe thought this through a little more?
I commend Logan, very much. He's a 25-year-old kid who's a hustler, and I mean that in good terms. He's singing, trying to act, trying to rap, he's on TV, has his own podcast—so hey, good for him. He's out there trying to make a buck, and he's successful at it. You can't get mad at him, but this also has nothing to do with boxing, or a representation of boxing. Do you think fights like this influence how some people perceive the sport right now?
No, I don't think that's the case at all. Boxing is still good. There are still good fights coming up, like this Saturday with [Anthony] Joshua from the United Kingdom. When there are good fights, people watch, the same way they'd watch good MMA or UFC fights. But that's a completely different audience, because the ones who will tune in to see Joshua on Saturday night aren't going to watch Logan Paul. I'm not sure what the pay-per-view cost for that fight will be, but no boxing fan is going to spend that money to see that fight.
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Look, any boxer at any ability level who goes into the ring is courageous. It's nerve-wracking and can be scary, and he has to have second thoughts at times, but Mayweather will not seriously injure him. Logan will get hit, and he might get cut, but he's not going to get knocked into oblivion. That's absolutely not going to happen. Mayweather is professional enough to know that if he injured Logan seriously, it would be both a black mark against him and a terrible, terrible thing. He's going to go in there and win an easy fight, and he's going to make...whatever the financial situation is. That's all it is. Logan may or may not have enough self-awareness to know that he's not going to win, but what should he focus on during his training so he can survive as long as he can?
His conditioning. There are so many factors that sap your energy in the ring. There's a tremendous adrenaline rush, and a tremendous fear factor, and both those things can deplete a boxer's energy. What Logan has to do is just be in good condition and circle. He should engage when he can, and stay out of Floyd Mayweather's range. How do you expect Mayweather to approach this?
What Floyd's going to do is probably similar to his last couple of fights: he'll go in there and dance around for the first half of the fight, wait until Logan gets tired, and then he'll throw his punches. That will stop Logan, either by knocking him out, or he'll throw enough punches that the referee stops it. I read that [Paul] is a cruiserweight, which means he'll weigh around 190 pounds. He'll be much heavier than Floyd, but that won't make much of a difference, because Floyd is so much better as an athlete. It's interesting you mentioned the importance of conditioning because that seemed to be one of Logan's most obvious shortcomings in his fights against KSI.
If he's not in good condition, then the fight will just end that much sooner.You're expecting a one-sided fight?
It's a one-sided fight before the first bell rings.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.