Floyd Mayweather refused to enter the ring to face Deji until Jake Paul vacated his ringside seat.
In his latest money-spinner exhibition bout in Dubai, boxing legend Mayweather faced YouTuber Deji – brother of KSI – over eight rounds. However, after the co-main event concluded, there was a nearly two-hour delay before the headline act began, as several rows flared up backstage.
One was the length of each round, with the fight advertised as consisting of two-minute sessions, and another was the size of the gloves. And Paul took to social media to confirm that he, too, was the cause of the delay. “Floyd wouldn’t fight unless I walked away,” he explained. “Poor ego.” And KSI refused to sit next to me. I didn’t notice him.
Mayweather and Paul have a history, having clashed prior to Mayweather’s fight with Logan Paul, the elder Paul brother, last summer. On that occasion, Paul snatched Mayweather’s cap, causing an altercation in which the YouTuber was injured.
Paul has repeatedly called out the former five-weight world champion, but his demands have mostly been met with silence. Mayweather also told Paul this week that he should concentrate on rescheduling his fight with Tommy Fury.
“Jake Paul has issues right here [points to Tommy Fury], he says a lot of things I’m not sure he means,” Mayweather said. “He’s doing a good job for what he’s doing. He is, after all, a lot of talk. It’s different at the highest level; once you get in there with a real fighter, it’s game over for him. Of course he wants to fight me, despite the fact that I am 50 years old [sic].”
Since retiring from professional boxing after his victory over Conor McGregor in 2017, Mayweather has made money on the exhibition circuit, where fights are not scored. Mayweather improved to 50-0 with his stoppage victory over the former two-weight UFC champion.
