Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Jack Rathborn

Dana White mocks ‘the state of boxing’ after Floyd Mayweather confirms Logan Paul exhibition fight

Photograph: floydmayweather

Dana White has mocked “the state of boxing” after Floyd Mayweather Jr confirmed an exhibition fight against YouTube star Logan Paul.

Mayweather will be back in the ring on 20 February for the first time since battering Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa on New Year’s Eve two years ago.

His previous action inside the ring before that was a professional contest against debutant and UFC superstar Conor McGregor in 2017, which ended in a 10th round knockout.

And now Mayweather has announced a money-spinning exhibition against Paul, who was last involved in the ring in a split decision defeat to Olajide Olatunji, known online as KSI.

And UFC president White has trashed the move from Mayweather and mocked Paul for his previous performance in the sport.

“When people ask me what's the state of boxing right now, that's where it's at,” White told NELK.

“Didn't that kid get beat up by the f*****g video game kid from England and now he's going to fight Floyd Mayweather?”

Mayweather also responded last week to speculation he was training for a rematch against Conor McGregor, instead claiming he entertained the fans to leave the door open for a rematch.

“I took it (the McGregor fight) serious, but I wanted to have some fun in the fight and I wanted to entertain the people,” Mayweather told Drink Champs.

“You have to give the people a show, so I gave the people a show.

“If I wanted to go out there and f*** him up and blaze him right out the gate, I could've did that. But my thing is this, if I would've did that, then it wouldn't be probably a part two.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.