Former two-time heavyweight world champion George Foreman has no problem with the recent run of exhibition bouts - including Sunday's eight round pay-per-view clash between Floyd Mayweather and Youtube star Logan Paul.
The 44-year-old Mayweather, a five division world champion, retired from boxing in August of 2017 when he stopped UFC superstar Conor McGregor in the rounds.
Paul, 26, made his pro debut in 2019, when he lost a six round split decision to Youtube rival KSI.
Because the fight went the full distance, and no winner was announced due to exhibition rules, a lot of fans were upset.
Neither boxer was in serious trouble. Mayweather was able to land accurate punches, but the much bigger Paul, who held a at least a 40-pound weight advantage, was able to take the shots.
“The strangest thing is I’m starting to enjoy these exhibitions a lot more than the so-called competitive fights they put on because there’s no entertainment value to those. These have entertainment value," Foreman told USA Today.
“Mayweather turned into the slugger, following the guy around. And (Paul) is as long as Wilt Chamberlain with that jab. It was exciting.’’
Foreman was impressed by Paul's performance and believes the novice boxer has an actual future in the sport.
He felt Paul used his size very well to control certain portions of the fight, by holding Mayweather and keeping the 50-0 boxer in place to avoid punishment.
“There’s something really entertaining about this kid, and I don’t know where it’s going from there. But I was excited. And look, I’m an Olympic gold medalist, two-time heavyweight champion of the world and I didn’t miss a second of it. I was afraid to get up and walk away from it for a minute," Foreman said.
“It was an exciting night for me. And I didn’t expect that. Believe me. Some guys would say, ‘I’m turning this off now.’ I would not leave the television because at any second I thought Mayweather might take him out, then the kid starts jumping around using his jab and dominating. He didn’t have the experience Mayweather had, but he dominated with his size.’’