Floyd Mayweather Claims $1 Million USD Payout for Answering Call Over Exhibition Bout With Deji
After losing three exhibition fights against Jake Paul, Vinnie Hacker, and Alex Wassabi, Deji redeemed himself with a convincing victory over fellow YouTuber Fousey, showcasing substantial improvement over his previous bouts. However, with just one official win, the British YouTuber Deji will now be stepping into the ring with one of the all-time greats, Floyd Mayweather Jr. The duo faced off ahead of the weekend and are set to meet in Dubai on November 13.
Maintaining a record of 50-0, Mayweather has been picking up a number of exhibition bouts with the likes of UFC fighter Conor McGregor and Logan Paul as well as RIZIN fighters Tenshin Nasukawa and Mikuru Asakura. While Deji has shown significant resolve, taking into consideration on-paper track records and weight differences, the YouTuber may be Mayweather’s least daunting opponent yet heading into the contest.
Throughout the first press conference, Mayweather reiterated that the bout was for entertainment and for bringing joy to the fans while continuously bringing attention to the sponsors for the bout. He also revealed that he was paid $1 million USD purely to discuss the fight.
“They said we’ll get you on the phone and they wired me one million dollars,” said Mayweather. “So I got on the phone ASAP and said what’s going on? They said they wanted me to do [a fight] with a YouTuber and I said, yo, let’s make it happen. We’re doing these exhibitions and it doesn’t matter what happens, I can get knocked out and I’m still 50-0!”
When asked about how it feels to face off against Mayweather, Deji was all smiles, answering, “Literally, this is surreal, all of this. I’ve seen this place on TV and now I’m here next to the champ, so I’m truly blessed. It’s amazing, this is history, isn’t it.”
