Ahead of Floyd Mayweather’s curious exhibition match with YouTuber Logan Paul in Miami this weekend, there aren’t many people who understand the way the self-proclaimed TBE’s (The Best Ever) mind works better than former Money Team teammate Ashley Theopane.
Theopane (50-9-1) was a part of the Mayweather Promotions set-up for five years in Las Vegas and is still close with those who share a gym with the five-weight world champion and he believes that Mayweather will want to put on a show on Saturday night against Logan Paul before turning his attention to his younger brother, Jake.
“From what I’ve heard from the gym, because I’m still friends with a lot of guys there, they’ve said ‘It’s like the old Floyd back,’ Theopane told the Betfred Boxing Show.
“You have to think, even though this guy is nowhere near as good as Floyd, he still doesn’t want this guy to look good against him. If Floyd is older now and he’s passed his prime, he’s still Floyd Mayweather. He’s still professional in that he trains hard, so from what I’ve heard in the camp, it’s like old days and Floyd is coming.
“A lot of us retire and we stay in the sport too long - maybe Floyd might miss the training, all the eyes are on you, he gets to stay in shape and being real, to me the fight with Paul will be like a sparring match.
“I think a lot of us stay on too long and we box too long and a lot of us we get hurt, end up broke, so I think Floyd’s showing a new way of ‘don’t get broke, you can stay healthy, you can stay in the gym and make some cash.’
“And it’s going to be entertaining, the card itself is pretty good. Even if you’re not a fan of this Floyd Mayweather fight and Logan Paul, you’ve still got a very good card that’s underneath, that’s worth the pay-per-view that Sky are going to put on - I think it’s a good deal.”
The introduction of YouTubers into the world of prizefighting has irked many fight fans but Theopane believes that, as long as it stays in an exhibition format, it can be beneficial for the growth of the sport.
“You know what? I haven’t got an issue with it, the only thing I think is it shouldn’t be professional fights. I have no issue with them doing the exhibition bouts, what Floyd’s going to do now, but I don’t think they should be professional.
“I was chatting to a young man the other day and he said that a bunch of his friends have started to box because of the Pauls. Like, they wasn’t into it, but because of the Pauls they’re into it, so, for me, I guess if it brings more fans and more eyes, it’s good for the sport in that sense.”
After fighting Conor McGregor in 2017, Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in 2018, and Paul this year, don’t expect the 44-year-old to stop there, as Theopane believes that after beating Logan, he’ll set his sights on Logan’s younger brother Jake.
“I think after this fight, after Floyd beats Logan Paul, he’s gonna fight Jake Paul. When Jake Paul took his cap [at the Mayweather vs Logan Paul press conference], I think Jake Paul knew what he was doing.
“Jake Paul wanted next, because if anything, Jake is the better of them two, he’s the one who’s had the more fights, he’s trained by J’Leon Love and BJ Flores, so he’s the one who’s more in the gym and he’s probably a better fight than Logan Paul is, but I think Logan Paul might just have the bigger fanbase.
“After Floyd beats the big bro, he’s going to fight little bro - that’s what I think, because it’s all about money.”
