The boxing world may not be ready for the unthinkable Sunday night, but it’s important to remember that it is a possibility. It was then that former five-division champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather returns to the ring for the first time since December 2019 when he faces YouTuber and social media star Logan Paul in an exhibition match at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The four-fight card drops Sunday night on Showtime PPV.

This will be the second time in recent years that Mayweather has participated in an exhibition match similar to this one. The former five-division champion crushed kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in Japan on New Years Eve in 2019. The difference being that Nasukawa typically fights around 125 pounds, meaning Mayweather had a significant height advantage when the two have attached the gloves.

Paul, meanwhile, will only make his third official appearance in the ring. The older sibling has had two competitions against fellow YouTube star KSI in recent years, one as a show and the other as a pro. The show ended in a majority draw as KSI claimed a split decision victory in the rematch.

This is a one-fight card, for all intents and purposes. But it still features three fights before getting to the main event. The co-principal presents a light heavyweight contest between Badou Jack and Dervin Colina. Jack was scheduled to face Jean Pascal in that slot, but Pascal tested positive for four different types of steroids and was removed from the event. Additionally, Jarrett Hurd is back in a middleweight contest when he faces Luis Arias in a star contest. And former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson will make his boxing debut at an exhibition when he takes on MMA and Bare Knuckle FC veteran Brian Maxwell to open the festivities.

Most fans who log on will have an interest in one way or another in who wins the fight, whether you can bet or not. Because of this, our experts have handicapped the way they see the action unfold below.

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Fight card

• Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul – Contract Show (8 rounds)
• Badou Jack vs. Dervin Colina, light heavyweight (10 rounds)
• Jarrett Hurd v Luis Arias, junior middleweight (10 rounds)
• Chad Johnson vs. Brian Maxwell, Contract Show (4 rounds)

Information display

• Dated: June 6 | Start time: 8 p.m. ET (main card)
• Location: Hard Rock Stadium – Miami Gardens, Florida
• TV: Showtime PPV | Direct: Showtime.com or the Showtime application | Price: $ 49.99

Predictions Mayweather vs Paul

Brian Campbell: The physical benefits with which Paul will enter the ring cannot necessarily be overlooked. The former high school wrestler and football player is 18 years younger than Mayweather, six inches taller and four inches taller. It should also be 45 to 50 cartridges heavier. Mayweather has never fought someone over 154 pounds and Paul weighed 199.5 pounds in his professional debut. Expect these never-before-seen obstacles to give Mayweather at least a break or two as he assesses his young foe’s hand speed and timing. But once he’s fully adjusted, Mayweather should have no problem – even retired at 44 – being able to land clean, hard counters at all times. The biggest question regarding Paul’s survivability concerns the quality of his untested chin compared to the accuracy of a true professional. Paul is both hungry and fearless, but his rudimentary knowledge of the sport compared to Mayweather’s can only produce one result: a mid-fight knockout.

Brent Brookhouse: Give Paul five more years of solid boxing training as Mayweather ages closer to 50 and Mayweather would still be the frontrunner in a fight. There is no way for Paul to close the experience gap or reach Mayweather’s level of technique. That said, the benefits of Paul’s size and strength are very real, a fact Mayweather is certainly aware of. As such, Mayweather will likely go slow in the first round, taking information and formulating his approach for the rest of the fight. While Paul coach’s boast that his jab rivals Larry Holmes’s is clearly absurd, I have no doubt that they’ve been working hard on this jab in an attempt to stop Mayweather from getting close and using all its technical advantages. It makes sense to choose Mayweather here, but her pride does matter a bit. There will be no judges on-site and no announced winner, which means that if Mayweather is serious about claiming victory outside of the “we’ve all seen it,” he will have to knock Paul out. I think he can and will do it around Round 5, but he’ll have to take some risks to make it happen, and that means exposing a 44-year-old chin to a man up to 50 pounds heavier. than him. Look for a knockout at the end of Mayweather in a fight that plays out a little more convincingly than many expect.