Floyd Mayweather (L) and Jake Paul pose during a press conference at Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami Gardens, Florida, on May 6, 2021. – Former world welterweight king Floyd Mayweather said May 4,2021 he will face off against YouTube personality Logan Paul in an exhibition bout at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on June 6, 2021. (Photo by Eva Marie UZCATEGUI / AFP)
A press conference promoting Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s upcoming exhibition bout against Logan Paul wound up with Mayweather getting into a skirmish Thursday with Jake Paul, Logan’s brother.
Jake Paul got in Mayweather’s face then pulled the hat off the veteran boxing champion’s head and ran away in the Miami Gardens, Fla., event. Mayweather pursued him, saying, “I’ll kill that (bleep).”
Jake Paul, a boxing YouTube star like his brother, posted online videos showing him saying in advance that he would steal Mayweather’s hat, then later saying, “It went good.”
Mayweather later told The Athletic, “I don’t want to be disrespected. You can’t keep touching me and disrespecting me.”
The incident was panned by mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor, who fought and lost a boxing match against Mayweather in August 2017.
McGregor wrote on Instagram of Mayweather preparing to fight Jake Paul, primarily a YouTube star, “Pro to pro it’s embarrassing. He will not scratch 10m for this fight and he knows it. It was canceled once already. The world is watching this on Twitter. He’d fight a half decent pro and command 20m upwards, yet its this (expletive).
“Whatever way you spin this, it’s sad. Fight someone for real, on your record, or (expletive) off mate. Slap head!”
McGregor and Logan Paul are due to fight June 6 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
The McGregor fight was the last time Mayweather (50-0, 27 knockouts) competed.
Logan Paul, 26, lost his only sanctioned match, coming up short in a split decision in November 2019 against another YouTuber, KSI. Logan Paul’s YouTube channel has 22.9 million subscribers.