FLOYD MAYWEATHER said ‘I was surprised’ after failing to knock out Logan Paul and admitted: ‘He’s better than I thought he was’.
The boxing legend was taken all eight rounds in his exhibition spectacle with YouTube sensation Paul.
Mayweather, 44, started cagey before becoming the aggressor down the stretch, but he was unable to stop his much heavier opponent.
As Paul, 26, managed to survive, it won the respect of one of the greatest boxers of all time.
Mayweather said: “I had fun, you’ve got to realise I’m not 21 anymore but it’s good to move around with these young guys, test my skills just to have some fun.
“Great young fighter, strong, tough, he’s better than I thought he was. As far as with the big guys, the heavyweights, it’s going to be kind of hard.
“But he’s a tough, rough competitor, it was good action, had fun, I was surprised by him tonight.
“I fought against a heavyweight, but I had fun. Even though he’s not got that much experience, he knew how to use his weight and tie me up tonight.
“I had fun, pretty sure he had fun and hopefully the fans enjoyed it.”
Paul came into the fight having only boxed TWICE before, both against online rival KSI.
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The first, a similar exhibition bout in 2018, ended in a draw before they turned professional a year later, with KSI winning by split-decision.
So it was no surprise Paul claimed a moral victory as he took all-time great Mayweather the distance.
He said: “S*** man, I don’t want anyone to tell me anything is impossible ever again.
“The fact that I’m in here with one of the greatest boxers of all time proves the odds can be beaten.
“I’m the Maverick, I go right when they go left, I’m the unorthodox one, I’m the independent one and everyone has it in them.
“Everyone can beat the odds and do great things in life and I want everyone to know that and that’s what I’m here to say.
“Floyd Mayweather, it was an honour, I hate being a d*** and I love you guys.
“I love all you guys, this is one of the greatest moments of my life, I feel great.”
With no knockout scored, there was no official winner, but Paul has called for a rematch to settle the argument.
He said: “I’m probably going to go to the water, go to the beach, raise my hands in the air.
“Floyd Mayweather vs Logan Paul 2? I dunno, let me get a little better, maybe I can end it next time.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
