Former five-weight boxing world champion and flamboyant boxer, Floyd Money Mayweather, has announced his return to boxing after a three-year hiatus. The 43-year-old boxer had announced his retirement back in 2017 and has since been absent from the ring. However, plans are being put in motion for his return.

The boxer announced that he will be having an exhibition match against YouTuber, Logan Paul, in February 2021. The last time Mayweather was in the ring in a professional boxing match was against mixed martial arts superstar, Cornor McGregor, where they both amassed estimated combined earnings of $360 million. Forbes reported that Mayeather made away with $275 million while McGregor made somewhere from $85 million to $100 million.

The match made so much money because of its peculiarity, a similar trait shared with Mayweather’s next match. Normally the idea of a pro boxer, especially one as accomplished and as dangerous as Mayweather taking on an ordinary YouTuber in a boxing match would have sounded as bizarre as it gets, but ironically the match is highly coveted, and a number of people are already invested in the match.

The reason this match has an odd appeal and has become highly anticipated is as a result of two reasons. The first being that Mayweather is simply box office and his fights are known to amass so much wealth for all the stakeholders involved, thus his nickname ‘Money.’ It’s no surprise he is the richest boxer in the world.

The second reason lies in a recent boxing match that took place between Logan’s younger brother Jake Paul and former NBA basketball player Nate Robinson. Jake who is also a YouTuber knocked out Nate in an embarrassing exhibition. The problem here is that Nate is a black man and Jake is what the black community would refer to as a ‘white boy.’ So the idea of a white YouTuber knocking out an actual black athlete has not sat well with the black community since it happened.

While Mayweather is no doubt capitalising on the marketability of the prospect of the fight, it isn’t far fetched to think that he may be trying to restore some pride back to the black community. Like sports analyst, Shannon Sharpe mentioned: Mayweather is doing this for the culture.

Most people, however, are of the opinion that this match would be a one-side bout, and nothing more than an opportunity for Mayweather to make some money off another easy win, especially considering that Logan’s only boxing match resulted in a loss against a video game YouTuber.

Chinedu Okafor

For Chinedu Okafor, its all about making an impact with words,  creating a profound impression on the audience with the intended narrative.