Jake Paul has Given Logan Paul a Death Sentence By Tyler Beraldi
June 6th will forever be known as the massacre of Logan Paul. If this wasn’t abundantly obvious prior to May 6th’s press conference, then the events that followed poured cement on any remaining hope for an underdog story. Jake Paul, in an act as bold as it was idiotic, carved out his brother’s death sentence in the form of hat theft, snatching Mayweather’s cap in a confrontation which soon lead to a mobbing physical altercation, to the surprise of literally no one. The younger Paul attempted to make an escape, but was soon flanked by TMT security, getting his eye busted by an uppercut soon after being restrained. Jake would then be escorted out, covering his face and on the verge of tears, as Floyd was held back by the manpower of a small militia, screaming such charming phrases as, “I’ll kill that mother[lover]” and “Don’t you ever disrespect me, I’ma [love] you up” along the way.
The first thought that crosses one’s mind is likely the sound of a cash register. For a fight that was initially cancelled due to a supposed lack of fan interest, suddenly the world is ready to tune in for what otherwise would’ve been another shoddy Floyd exhibition. Despite apparent character changes, Logan’s last name still bears a less than stellar connotation, due in no small part to antics similar to what we’re seeing here. Simply put, the Paul brothers are heels. In this fight game, especially with Jake, they operate with the goal of drawing heat from audiences and opponents alike in order to get people invested in seeing them fall. In Jake’s case, much akin to a professional wrestling heel, he matches himself with lesser talent so that the audience never gets the satisfaction of defeat, and thus remain invested. The drawing power of his previous fight is testament to this, as is “Floyd” reaching number one trending on Twitter in the aftermath of his actions.
As Jake is escorted away from cameras, defiantly claiming to have stolen Floyd’s hat with a whimper, a shocked Logan Paul utters the second thought to likely cross one’s mind; “What did he do?” Although Jake fulfilled his purpose as a heel, and likely made everyone involved in the fight a bit richer, what he failed to realize is that even without mentioning the enormous disparity in fighting ability, Floyd Mayweather is not the man whose ego you want to disrespect. A man as great of a fighter as he is an egomaniac, what may be child’s play to the average adult is a personal affront to the guy who gave himself the nickname “Money”, and serves as ammunition in an otherwise impersonal entertainment venture.
Floyd’s ego does not make his response unjustified, however; this is one of the greatest fighters in boxing’s tenured history, in no universe would a star of his caliber allow a YouTuber to steal his hat in front of a national audience without reparations. While a bloodied eye serves as an immediate consequence, the true punishment will almost certainly be doled out on June 6th, as despite Logan’s aforementioned attempted character restoration, his name will forever be linked with his brother’s mistakes.
While rumors have circulated that this encounter was staged for publicity, the genuine rage displayed by Mayweather was palpable, as was Logan’s mortified expression after the affair. Most tellingly, however, was the blood dripping from Jake’s eye, his deliberately shielded face while he attempted to escape, and his wavering voice in a momentary showing of vulnerability from the otherwise arrogant Paul. The idea that this interaction was scripted, or that Floyd would even agree to such scripting in the first place, is nonsensical. For the first time in what feels like ages, we’re seeing a fired up Floyd Mayweather, and finally, some likely comeuppance for a heel. Unknowingly, Jake has turned a light sparring match into a fight, and while you might be able to tag Floyd in sparring, nobody has ever been able to touch him in a fight.