Floyd Mayweather won’t take Jake Paul seriously if he keeps facing MMA fighters past their prime.
At 5-0, Paul is unbeaten as a professional boxer and has scored knockout wins over former MMA champions Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley. Notorious for his pursuit of big paydays, Mayweather can appreciate the buzz that the YouTube star has created.
But Paul as a boxer? The 45-year-old Hall of Famer Mayweather says it’s easy to look good against fighters who aren’t actual boxers.
“Jake Paul, as of right now, for what he’s doing, it’s good for what he’s doing,” Mayweather said in an interview with TMZ. “But once he fights a real actual real fighter, it’s gonna be bad. But one thing I like about him: He’s selling it and he’s making good money. He’s entertaining. I like it.
“As long as he continues to fight MMA guys and YouTubers, he’s gonna continue to look good and shine. But once he fight a real fighter, a real fighter that can really fight, it’s not gonna be that good.”
Mayweather, who retired in 2017 following his win over Conor McGregor that moved him 5-0, is currently entertaining himself through exhibition bouts. He recently defeated Paul’s older brother Logan, but wouldn’t rule out a real fight with “The Problem Child,” who caused a brawl to ensue when he snatched his hat at a press event.
“I think he (Paul) was doing a sitdown on a podcast one time, and he talked about it and he said, ‘I don’t want to do an exhibition against Floyd Mayweather.’ He said, ‘I’m only doing real fights.’ And of course, I can’t get high up in weight, but I’ll fight him in a real fight at the weight that I’m at.”
Paul may not have fought a legitimate boxer, but he was bold enough to express interest in fighting Canelo Alvarez, which Mayweather thinks is ridiculous.
