Boxing under pressure to showcase its greatness after Floyd Mayweather vs Logan Paul exhibition

As the circus packs up until next time, it is easy to reflect on what next for boxing after Floyd Mayweather pulled off what he coined as a “legalised bank robbery” in his exhibition against Logan Paul.

While certainly falling short of dissuading the purists otherwise, this freakish match-up between a legendary fighter and a master self-promoter from YouTube at least provided some context behind an age-old debate surrounding how much a world champion would have to slip before a novice could have a competitive chance?

And while Paul barely approached that sweet spot, his conditioning and wild tactics provided some intrigue at least alongside Mayweather understandably slipping at 44 years of age and evidently not training as ferociously as he once did in his heyday.

Regardless, outrage in some corners will not dissipate, but that emotion should now be directed towards the sport’s power brokers, as last weekend’s pay-per-view and impressive show at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium has set a standard that broadcasters will continue to flock to like a bee to honey.

The tiresome negotiations between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, platooned by a misinterpretation of the latter’s contract for his previous fight with Deontay Wilder 17 months prior, only exacerbates the issue.

Fans of the sweet science may even look on in envy at the UFC’s ruthless efficiency when matching its best fighters, which may even lure some over the divide.

So who, or what fight specifically, can spark a feverish appetite for elite championship boxing once again? Beyond the aforementioned British heavyweights, by simply connecting the dots from last weekend, the obvious candidate is a former Mayweather opponent in Manny Pacquiao.

The Filipino is just two years his junior but has so far shunned the chance to coast through semi-retirement by meeting celebrities or star names from other sports. The Pacman continues to stake a claim to be the king at 147 and is now one win away from proving himself to be just that.

His bout with Errol Spence Jr on 21 August is as big as it gets beneath the heavyweight division, certainly now given the paucity of options for Canelo Alvarez, who is destined to face Caleb Plant next having cleared up the best part of two weight classes and outlasted Gennadiy Golovkin for a potential trilogy with the Kazakh now 39 years old.

Pacquiao’s light shines brightest at the pinnacle of the sport, even if the riches fall short of ‘Money’ Mayweather and his compelling exhibition.

This is not a mediocre period at welterweight either, with a whirlwind performance last time out to dispatch former champion Keith Thurman in 2019, and Terence Crawford the division’s other champion.

So while hyperbole surrounding boxing’s demise continues to be overblown, the circus fights in recent years have at least proven boxing is likely only touching the surface of its potential in this era.

open image in gallery

Even at a level beneath the elite, routinely making competitive match-ups has always been the decisive factor in attracting eyeballs and wetting the appetite of the public. With his historic new budget from DAZN, there are promises from Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn that the sport will be revitalised further on both sides of the Atlantic soon enough.

Mayweather vs Paul never pretended to be anything more than what it was: a mad interpretation of boxing. But with the infrastructure and stable of fighters there at least, the exhibition fights show that now is the time for boxing to deliver spectacular fights.