One of the biggest and most controversial stories in boxing over the last year or so has been the rise of “YouTube boxing,” with the Paul brothers, Logan and Jake, at center stage of what some see as a sideshow, and others see as a harmless money churning venture.
Canelo Alvarez recently said the Paul brothers are disrespecting boxing with their antics, which of course the brothers firmly disagree with. Logan Paul, who will face Floyd Mayweather in a February exhibition on pay-per-view, responded at length to Canelo’s comments. He had trouble finding a lane to pick for how he wanted to approach it, but these guys aren’t dumb, and they aren’t totally clueless or delusional about their efforts in boxing, either.
(If you’re still confused about who’s who, Jake is the one who has fought AnEsonGib and former NBA player Nate Robinson, and Logan is the one who fought KSI and has Floyd coming up in a February exhibition.)
Here’s what Logan had to say:
On Canelo saying the Paul brothers are “disrespectful” toward boxing
“Just because we’re attempting to do something and put on a great show and put in the work doesn’t mean you have to shit on us.”
“I think he’s the guy who got caught using steroids twice. You wanna talk about disrespecting boxing, talk about a guy who didn’t play by the rules. Fuck you. … I think he’s salty ‘cause I get a chance to beat Mayweather and he lost to him, it’s his one loss. He has one loss and it was to Floyd Mayweather. I get the shot that he failed to do.”
“It pisses me off, bro. Jake and I are putting in the work, like the actual work. We’re out-working ‘professional boxers,’ like we’re out-working these people, bro. We dedicate our lives to this. It’s all we fucking do. To say we’re disrespecting the sport, I feel disrespected, because this is coming from a guy who quite literally disrespected and spit on the ethics of the sport.”
On his respect for Canelo
“Bro, here’s why it’s tricky: I fucking love Canelo! It’s Canelo Alvarez! He’s the greatest boxer in the sport right now! Just because we’re attempting to do something and put on a great show and putting in the work doesn’t mean you have to shit on us. Like, what the fuck, bro?”
More on the backlash to the Paul brothers in boxing
“I don’t know what it is that people feel threatened by newcomers who are willingly, actively, and enthusiastically participating and putting in the work. If I was coming in here showing up on fight day having not gone through training camp, and really just doing it as a cash grab, yeah, that seems pretty fucking disrespectful to me. But when I’m out jogging alone on the street for eight miles every single night and waking up at 9 am and boxing in the morning, and fucking pushing my muscles to a degree and my body to a degree that it’s never been before … It is disrespectful to me when a GOAT, a person I look up to like Canelo says that I’m disrespecting the sport just because he doesn’t understand the dynamic of Floyd’s business.”
On whether he has a responsibility to show more “respect” in marketing fights
“It all depends on context. I’m fighting Floyd Mayweather. I’m gonna approach that fight with respect, you know why? He’s one of the greatest boxers alive, he’s 50-0. He’s the GOAT. I’m not gonna pretend like he isn’t. I’ll tell him I’m gonna kick his ass to his face, and talk shit to his face, but it’s gonna be in a fun fight game respect type of way. And by the way, when I’m saying these things, I really believe I can do it. I’m not just talking out of my ass, trying to get in his head, trying to sell a fight. No, bro, I’m here to fucking win! Regardless of what the outcome is, I’m going in with that mindset, and I think when it’s approached with a level of disrespect or mockery or maybe illegitimacy, I think that’s where people think we’re not taking it seriously, or maybe get jaded by the idea that we’re just trying to sell a fight. Yeah, I’m trying to sell a fight. But I’m also trying to win a fight.”