New Brizel Editorial: Welcome to 2021, The Year of Boxing Exhibition Mismatches
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Conor McGregor fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. So why can’t Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya be next? Iron Mike Tyson fought his exhibition with Roy Jones Jr. Will James Buster Douglas, Evander Holyfield, Jose Ribalta or Kevin McBride be his next rematch?
It is with this unique exhibition circuslike mindset that boxing fans are welcome to experience the best of 2021 in the months to come. Not the least of these is the upcoming star-studded high profile exhibition between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and social media presence Logan Paul. It is not exactly like Floyd is going to fight Saul Canelo Alvarez again, Gennady Golovkin (GGG), Erislandy Lara, Errol Spence Jr., or other big names.
At 25 years old, 6’2″ and somewhere around 200 pounds, social media star turned something like a boxer Logan Paul is like a slab of beef fighting a Slim Jim stick in a 150ish pounds or so Floyd. Their upcoming special exhibition is, in this reporter’s view, pay-per-view ridiculous. Paul is not going to go down in weight, and neither is Floyd going to go up in weight. If Floyd is going to fatten up his weight to an absurd 180 to 185 pounds or so, he may wish to fight his next exhibition against Iron Mike Tyson instead of Logan Paul. It’s all about the dough, but Floyd will look like a piece of Tony Galento heavyweight fat dough if he does go up in weight. In any case, it will be youth and size, versus age and experience.
True, many people are stuck at home and are desperate for good entertainment. When the unthinkable becomes sanctioned, it becomes insane. The world remains in isolation during the pandemic for the most part, but without fans attending sporting events, the pandemic is a catalyst for strange comebacks. Maybe Iron Mike Tyson will fight Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder or Anthony Joshua before the end of the year. Maybe Big George Foreman will fight Iron Mike Tyson or Logan Paul or Floyd this year too. How about Canelo versus Mike Tyson or Logan Paul later this year too? Beyond money, the exhibition freak show remains very much a reflection of the time. No true boxing fan is going to take Floyd versus Logan Paul seriously, let alone Floyd, unless he decides to close the show early. If Floyd really wants to come back, let him fight at 154 pounds against Erislandy Lara, Thomas LaManna, or anybody with a recent win in a ten rounder for a belt, to convince the world his comeback attempt is for real, not for patty cake dough to separate enthusiastic boxing fans from their cash in trash like exhibitions. The biggest issue is the boxing world is the lack of boxing today, and the lack of fans at sporting events. Under these circumstances, some boxing is undoubtedly better than none, Rotten matched exhibitions are a hard sell. Well, Larry Holmes once defended his title against Leon Spinks. We called it boxing. Yup.
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