FLOYD MAYWEATHER will return to the ring on February 20 to face YouTube superstar Logan Paul.
Retired boxing icon Mayweather, 43, confirmed the news on his social media pages.
Floyd Mayweather vs Logan Paul will take place on February 20
Mayweather, 43, last fought in an exhibition in December 2018Credit: @100kthedon
Paul, 25, lost a professional bout to fellow YouTuber KSI last yearCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Mayweather has not boxed a professional bout since beating Conor McGregor in August 2017 to move to 50-0.
The Money Man last fought an exhibition against Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in December 2018.
That fight scored Mayweather around $9m for just 139 seconds of work.
The undefeated five-weight world champion also revealed that tickets are already on sale.
Despite Paul, 25, turning pro this bout will be an exhibition – and one that will likely rake in MILLIONS for the pair.
Mayweather wrote on Instagram: “Super Exhibition Feb. 20, 2021 !!!!
Early Bird Special On Sale NOW!!!! More Details Soon.”
According to the Fanmio website, early bird pricing is at $24.99 (£18.62) for the first million tickets sold.
It then rises to $39.99 (£29.80), and then to $59.99 (£44.71) starting December 29.
It will then increase to $69.99 (£52.16) for the final days of build up, starting February 11.
It is not yet clear which British broadcaster will air the exhibition.
The fight comes after increasing speculation that the pair would meet.
Both men have been seen to be increasing their training output, while engaging in a bit of trash talk.
Logan Paul called Mayweather illiterate last month in a video, saying: “Hey Floyd, I know you’ve had the contract for a while now.
“At first I thought you didn’t sign it because you didn’t want one punch to ruin your legacy.
“But now I feel like maybe you didn’t sign it because you don’t know how to spell your name.
“Don’t worry, champ, I’ve got you – check this out. I made you a cheat sheet.”
Pointing to the letters sellotaped to the wall in his gloves, Paul added: “This is your name. Floyd Mayweather.
“It’s pretty simple – it starts with an F.”
Then the W in Mayweather fell off the wall, prompting him to add: “F***. Well, yeah, you ain’t getting the W anyway.
“Then an L – your first L. O-Y-D. May. Eather.
“Sign the f***ing contract, Floyd.”
Paul made an astonishing call out video that called Mayweather illiterate
Paul headed over to a wall where he had printed out Mayweather’s name
While Mayweather called out the YouTuber on his social media – while aiming another dig at McGregor.
Mayweather said: “These YouTube girls better find some Barbie dolls to play with cause I’m not the one for the kid games.
“Three years ago a fighter from the UFC said my name and I had to put a muzzle on that b****.
“Logan Paul can get the same treatment before I go conquer Japan again.”
The announcement come fresh off of last week’s news that Logan’s brother, Jake, was a huge part of the Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr exhibition bringing in more than 1.2million pay-per-view buys.
According to FITE TV CEO Mike Weber, Jake Paul was responsible for around “40 per cent” of those buys.
Logan is considered a bigger star than Jake and boasts almost double the amount of social media followers.
His rematch with KSI – his pro boxing debut that ended in defeat – attracted around 1.2million PPV sales.
Mayweather has been one of the biggest draws in boxing in the 21st Century and will likely earn tens of millions – at least – from this fight.
His fights against Manny Pacquiao and McGregor are the two richest ever made, each bringing in more than $400million.
Logan Paul claims Floyd Mayweather hasn’t signed fight contract yet as he can’t spell own name in incredible rant
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
