Paul says Mayweather ‘needs us’ to sell PPVs

Jake Paul just before he told Floyd Mayweather ‘gotcha hat’ during a press event in Miami. | Photo by EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI/AFP via Getty Images

Boxing disruptor Jake Paul said he and his brother Logan are needed for Mayweather to still sell PPVs.

Love them or hate them the Paul brothers are bringing more eye-balls to combat sports than anyone else right now.

This weekend big brother Logan takes on Floyd Mayweather Jr. in what is being billed as an exhibition bout. And this week it was announced that Jake will return to the ring to face former UFC champion Tyron Woodley in a bout that will air on Showtime.

Jake Paul recently spoke with Brian Campbell of CBS Sports about this weekend’s Mayweather vs. Paul showdown. Paul was asked why he thought Mayweather, a 50-0 pro who retired in 2017, was coming back to face an 0-1 YouTuber.

“He has to,” he answered (ht Boxing Scene). “That’s why he is fighting my brother. Who else is Floyd going to fight that will sell millions of pay-per-views? He needs us more than we need him.”

“We are bringing in a new light and a new wave,” continued Paul. “That’s because of the YouTube celebrity boxing culture and us bringing Instagram and all of our followers over. It’s all new people who are wanting to pay for fights who normally wouldn’t have.”

Mayweather’s reputation as a box office draw is undeniable. In the past (emphasis on past) he broke records with fights against Oscar De La Hoya, Canelo Alvarez, Manny Pacquiao and, of course, former UFC champion Conor McGregor.

Each time the Paul brothers have fought in the ring it’s been a spectacle and it’s done well at the box office (if numbers from companies like Triller can be believed).

Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe isn’t buying that Mayweather ‘needs’ the Pauls to sell pay-per-views, though.

“There is zero validity to any of that,” Ellerbe he said, also to CBS Sports. “Imitation is the highest form of flattery, I always say that. I always say that! They have taken Floyd’s blueprint and have been able to run with it and I applaud them for that. But to make any notion of Floyd needing them is really one of the dumbest comments that I have actually heard in quite some time.”