Logan Paul survived eight rounds against Floyd Mayweather Jr., one of the best boxers of all time. A powerful blow sent former N.F.L. wide receiver Chad Johnson stumbling to the ground in a boxing ring instead of on the football turf. Purists of the sport saw two other competitive fights that ended in a split decision and a finish.
Sunday’s pay-per-view boxing event had a little bit of everything and lived up to its managed expectations billing as a moneymaking spectacle pandering to the general public rather than a serious contest between Mayweather and Paul.
In the lead-up, both Mayweather and Paul spoke of how they wanted to entertain those that watched. Mayweather, 44, entered the ring against a physically larger man — Paul, 26, weighed in 34½ pounds heavier and stood 6 inches taller. But Paul, who amassed his fame through social media, had lost the only professional fight he participated in. Mayweather had won all 50 of his.
The experience gap led many to believe that Mayweather would knock Paul out. But Paul constantly latched his frame onto Mayweather throughout the eight rounds of fighting. Still, Mayweather landed shots and stalked Paul down without exerting much energy. No winner was announced because there were no judges in the special event.
The exhibition capped a night with three other televised bouts, including one that featured Johnson, 43, a six-time Pro Bowl receiver who played 11 N.F.L. seasons. He fought in an exhibition against mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle fighter Brian Maxwell. Johnson performed well, but suffered a knockdown in the fourth round. Just like with the Mayweather-Paul bout, there were no judges and thus no winner.
The two official fights were exciting, too. In a middleweight bout, Luis Arias defeated Jarrett Hurd in an upset via split decision. In a light-heavyweight bout, Badou Jack defeated Dervin Colina after the referee stopped the fight in the fourth round. Colina stepped in on short notice for Jean Pascal, who was scratched after a positive drug test.
