You’re not going to believe this, but Jake Paul was running his mouth again. The social media showman turned boxing mega-star had some choice words for Floyd Mayweather ahead of the legend’s upcoming fight with his brother Logan Paul, and those choice words didn’t sit too well with Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe who called them the ‘dumbest comments’ he’s heard in some time. Now the businessman and the YouTuber are locked in their own war of words, and the circus surrounding Jake Paul is as loud, noisy and potentially lucrative as it has ever been. Let’s back up.
Logan Paul is set to fight Floyd Mayweather on June 6th. Jake Paul has obviously been all up in the pre-fight promotions because he’s good at it and also, he’s not going to pass up a chance to be part of the action. So, over the past few weeks, he’s given a steady stream of interviews, stolen Floyd Mayweather’s hat and boasted pretty consistently about how he’s upended the industry. During one of those interviews with CBS, Paul told the interviewer Mayweather needs the Paul Brothers more than they need him. Here’s the exact quote…
Who else is Floyd going to fight that will sell millions of pay-per-views? He needs us more than we need him.
Of course that comment didn’t sit too well with Leonard Ellerbe. As someone directly involved in Floyd Mayweather’s business affairs, he strongly disagrees that the former boxing champion needs anyone’s help to put asses in seats. He fired back pretty quickly with his own assessment of the situation you can read below…
There is zero validity to any of that. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, I always say that. I always say that! They have taken Floyd's blueprint and have been able to run with it and I applaud them for that. But to make any notion of Floyd needing them is really one of the dumbest comments that I have actually heard in quite some time.
Floyd Mayweather has been involved in four of the five highest grossing pay per view events of all-time. He’s had success from a public interest standpoint at a level the Paul Brothers have not achieved; so, it’s easy to see why some people are rolling their eyes at the initial comments. That being said, it’s also fair to point out that Mayweather is retired, and adding the Paul Brothers to this equation has increased the interest surrounding his return to the ring. Jake Paul especially has been on an absolute heater lately, generating headline after headline after knocking out Nate Robinson, knocking out Ben Askren and signing a big deal with Showtime.
Floyd Mayweather is a heavy favorite going into his fight with Logan Paul. Depending on pay per view numbers, he should pocket a really healthy chunk of change for the match. Whether he slides back into retirement with a little more cash or tries to set up another fight at this point is unclear. Jake Paul, on the other hand, is definitely going to continue fighting and pissing people off on purpose because checks from the haters cash too.
