MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – There’s a good chance if you are close to someone who is either: 1) Into sports 2) Into Instagram accounts dedicated to sports culture, or, 3) Just simply watches the news, you know there was a social media-driven boxing match that caused a frenzy on Sunday night.
However, even if you have absolutely no clue what we’re talking about, there’s a good chance you’ve scrolled down on either your TikTok, Instagram, or Twitter timeline on Monday and unintentionally stumbled upon images and clips of an over 6-foot-tall YouTuber named Logan Paul and American professional boxing champion Floyd Mayweather.
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That is because on Sunday in a pay-per-view showdown that charged $49.99 to those intrigued enough to watch the event on Showtime, Mayweather and Paul went head-to-head in an exhibition for eight three-minute rounds.
Although there were no judges, and no official winner was read, it was announced that Logan won.
While hundreds of thousands of people streamed or watched the match online, those who could make it to Miami Gardens’ Hard Rock Stadium to witness the fight in person were able to purchase tickets starting from $150.
And those folks have had a lot to say. Or, actually, not enough.
Videos posted on social media on popular Miami-based accounts such as ONLY in DADE, were quick to comment on the lack of enthusiasm and fans in attendance. Although COVID-19 health and safety protocols are still in place at the stadium, fans expected a larger crowd. Comments ranged from “My sister’s quinceñera had more people attending than that fight” to “Better seats at my house.”
The video posted on ONLY in DADE was originally recorded by film director, writer, and restaurateur Eddie Huang, who humorously compared the event to the infamous Fyre Festival.
The NFL-sized stadium, which primarily serves as the home of the Miami Dolphins and the Miami Hurricanes, has a standard seating capacity 64,767. However, the Mayweather vs. Paul fight was able to hold an extra 10,000 people with seating on the field and ringside.
Despite the social media frenzy, it seems even a spectacle as large as Mayweather vs. Paul couldn’t draw in an in-person crowd, regardless of the return of live events since the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine.