Floyd Mayweather is preparing for his exhibition fight with Logan Paul like one of his many title fights, according to training partner Denis Douglin.
The boxing legend, who won fifteen world championships and 50 pro fights, will take on YouTube star Paul at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami next month in a huge pay-per-view spectacle.
But despite saying that all he needed to do to win the fight was 'show up', it appears that Mayweather is taking the fight as seriously as a legitimate pro bout.
Speaking to the Betway Insider blog, training partner Douglin, a 22-8 pro in his own right, told of the intensity he experienced when he visited the gym to take in a sparring session.
"I think Floyd thought taking his hat was disrespectful," Douglin said. "It looks like it has lit a fire under him from what I saw at the gym. I was very impressed. I think that had to do with the Paul brothers p*****g him off.
"Floyd’s one of the greatest in the world - but I didn't think that he was going to train intensely for this. But now they’ve p****d him off now, so he’s turning it up. What I saw today from Floyd was very impressive.
"I was blown away. I was kind of expecting him to do a cookie cutter workout, shadow box and spar someone really bad just to stay active. That’s what I was expecting.
"But I came into the gym at around midnight and the energy and atmosphere in the gym felt like a real Mayweather fight. Floyd looked great, man - he didn’t miss a beat.
"Still cocky, still having fun, still crafty - it was a real sight to see. Watching him get rounds of sparring, hitting the bag, on the pads - he had great energy. I learned a lot just watching that."
Paul's experience is considerably less than Mayweather's, having started training in 2018, almost a year after Mayweather had ended his 50-0 pro career.
He took one amateur white collar fight with YouTube star KSI, which he drew, before turning pro for the rematch, which he lost.
Mayweather, on the other hand, medaled at the Olympics as an amateur before going on to have arguably one of the greatest pro careers in boxing history.
"Floyd was to be the best in the world and he retired," Douglin noted. "So while he’s not taking this fight with Logan Paul as seriously as a real fight against Errol Spence for example.
"He’s taking it as seriously as he needs to for what this fight is - which is for a kid who’s a little bit crazy and disrespectful, who does not understand the craft of boxing.
"Floyd’s going to teach him boxing’s an art. It does not matter if you’re bigger than me, or stronger than me because I have boxing skill. Floyd is one of the best technicians in the sport and I feel Floyd is taking that seriously.
"He has a need to show this kid boxing is about skills and not just a fight - it’s a science. 100 percent he’s going to make him pay."
