Floyd Mayweather has claimed that he was paid $1 million (£892,635) to take a phone call and open negotiations with Deji Olatunji.
The undefeated 45-year-old has agreed to an exhibition match against the British YouTuber, who has a 1-0 record as a professional.
Mayweather and Deji will meet in Dubai on 13 November, continuing a series of exhibition fights for the former five-division world champion since concluding his 50-0 professional career in 2017.
The American most recently beat Mikuru Asakura via TKO inside two rounds.
Having fought former sparring partner Don Moore in Abu Dhabi in March in an encounter originally due to take place in Dubai, Mayweather was tempted back to United Arab Emirates after promoters Global Titans showed their financial resolve with a significant opening fee.
“They reached out to me and said ‘Floyd, we’d like you in Dubai again’,” Mayweather revealed to FightHype.
The other one was supposed to be in Dubai and it got moved to Abu Dhabi, but they want me back in the UAE. I said ‘let’s make it happen,’ but I also told them I won’t get on the phone unless I know the numbers, then we can talk.
“They said, ‘We’ll get you on the phone’ and they wired me one million dollars. So I got on the phone ASAP and said ‘what’s going on?’
“They said they wanted me to do [an exhibition] with a YouTuber, I said, ‘Yo, let’s make it happen’.
“We’re doing these exhibitions and it doesn’t matter what happens, I can get knocked out and I’m still 50-0! I did what I had to do when it really counted, it don’t count now.”
Mayweather won 15 major world championships during a more than two-decade career, and was a three-time winner of the Sugar Ray Robinson Award, awarded to the Boxing Writers Association of America’s Fighter of the Year.
Deji, the younger brother of fellow internet personality-cum-boxer KSI, will headline a card that will also feature Tommy Fury vs Paul Bamba, and said that he was “amazed” to have opportunity to fight Mayweather.
“I have no words, really,” Deji said. “This is amazing, I’m truly blessed.
“Literally, this is surreal, all of this. I’ve seen this place on TV and now I’m here next to the champ, so I’m truly blessed.
“It’s amazing, this is history, isn’t it. That’s all I can really say. I’m amazed.”
