Mayweather vs Paul Fight Purse: Both Competitors Win Big in Prize Money Payout
Despite the undoubtable gap in skill between the two fighters, the June 6th boxing matchup between YouTube star Logan Paul and boxing legend Floyd Mayweather was one of the highest-grossing combat sporting events of 2021 thus far.
The outcome hardly mattered as both competitors walked away from the ring well-compensated for their efforts. The highly-anticipated spectacle was available for $49.99 pay-per-view (PPV) streaming on Showtime and Fanmio.com, of which the PPV profits were readily pocketed by Mayweather and Paul. The pre-fight hype and social media craze that preceded the event were certainly well worth the effort. While boxing matches typically don’t reach the seven-figure mark, this unique matchup exceeded expectations and reported over one million in buys.
The boxing sensation and former five-division world champion was said to have negotiated a deal that secured him roughly 50% of these PPV profits, in addition to the $10 million flat fee in his contract. This would give Mayweather a nearly $25 million payout from the eight-round fight. Paul, while not garnering nearly as much as his seasoned competitor, certainly did not walk away empty handed. The YouTuber reportedly locked in a 10% share of the PPV profits (worth almost $5 million) in addition to the $250,000 flat fee for the fight.
The exhibition match at Hard Rock Stadium lasted eight rounds, and while Mayweather dominated Paul, the YouTube star held his own and avoided a knockout.
“I don’t want anyone to tell me anything is impossible ever again,” Paul said. “The fact that I’m in here with one of the best boxers of all times proves the odds can be beat.”
Mayweather, who has never lost a match, landed 43 of his 107 punch attempts while Paul only landed 28 of 217 attempts. With 50 professional matches under his belt, most would agree that Mayweather was the winner of this bout. However, Paul put up a commendable performance considering he had only competed in one professional match prior to heading into the event.
“He’s better than I thought he was,” Mayweather said of Paul after the match. “I was surprised by him tonight. Good work. Good little guy.”
The celebrity duo certainly gave people a show despite the fact that neither of them particularly had anything to lose. Due to the significant disparity in experience level, the Florida State Boxing Commission did not officially sanction the fight, and it will therefore not go on either Mayweather nor Paul’s professional record.
While this certainly was not a traditional match-up, the commercial success of the Paul-Mayweather fight proved that there is certainly an audience for this type of event. So long as there is revenue to be made, boxing bouts such as this that pit a professional and a famous entertainer against each other may become a normalized spectacle in the future.
