Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images. Pictured: Logan Paul and Floyd Mayweather
Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul has garnered lots of attention from the betting world, but it’s not actually available to bet in the United States.
Why? Because the fight is an exhibition and is not sanctioned by the Florida State Boxing Commission. For legal sportsbooks to offer odds on boxing matches, they must be sanctioned. That goes for pretty much all sporting events — you can’t bet on most things without official, boxscore-driven results.
That’s why you can bet on the Super Bowl coin toss (because it has an official result) but can’t bet on novelties available at unregulated sportsbooks, like will Tom Brady mention his trainer in his Super Bowl MVP speech.
The FSBC decided it could not sanction the fight because the experience and skill gap between the two fighters is too large to consider it a professional bout. Mayweather, 44, is one of the best fighters ever, unbeaten at 50-0. Paul, a popular YouTuber/influencer who wrestled in high school in Ohio, is 0-1 with a loss to fellow YouTuber KSI in November 2019.
Paul vs. Mayweather odds are being offered in Europe at Betfair (whose parent company owns FanDuel).
Mayweather vs. Paul Odds
| Fighter | Odds | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Floyd Mayweather | -714 | 81.4% |
| Logan Paul | +400 | 18.6% |
Mayweather is a -714 favorite (81.4% probability of winning) at Betfair, with Paul at +400. A $10 bet on Paul pays $40, while you’d have to wager $71.40 to win $10 if you bet Mayweather.
Betfair doesn’t have any prop bets listed because of the fight’s rules, which make this thing seem like an exhibition that might not even have a real winner.
Mayweather vs. Paul Rules & Format
- No winner or judges (though there will be a ref on hand to score knockdowns)
- KOs allowed (the only way that a real winner will be declared)
- Eight three-minute rounds
- 12-ounce gloves, no headgear
- 190-pound weight limit for Paul
Paul has said he doesn’t see this fight as an exhibition, while Mayweather considers it “legalized bank robbery” — he knows he’s going to get a massive payday for a glorified spar.
“I believe in working smarter, not harder,” Mayweather said on Showtime. “So if it’s something easy like [the Paul fight], a legalized bank robbery, I gotta do it. I have to do it.
“My nickname is ‘Money’ for a reason… I worked extremely hard for years and years to get to a certain level — a level where we can start calling everything an event.”
Mayweather was, of course, part of the most famous money grab in fighting history nearly four years ago. He beat UFC star Conor McGregor in a boxing match, and both cleared well over $100 million in purse and pay-per-view money. Mayweather won handily by 10th-round TKO and said it would be his last fight ever.
Paul’s last fight against KSI fell under what some would call “white-collar boxing” — a fight in which white-collar professionals with no boxing experience train for a special event.
“This whole thing is surreal,” Paul said. “Everything about it. I told my manager, and we kind of had an inside joke that until I get in the ring with him, I didn’t think this fight was happening. But I think it’s safe to say that I can believe it now. I think it’s happening. It’s fight week. I can’t imagine Floyd would back out now, but who knows? Old man fakes an injury. Gets scared of the big kid. I’m excited.”
Paul’s brother, Jake, has jumped fully into professional boxing. He fought former MMA star Ben Askren last month in a sanctioned bout, knocking him out in the first round. Jake Paul is scheduled to fight former UFC champ Tyron Woodley in August.