Boxing fans have conjured a wild conspiracy theory that Floyd Mayweather was purposefully missing shots against YouTuber Deji in their exhibition clash on Sunday.
Mayweather has been featuring in exhibition fights against the likes of Logan Paul, Tenshin Nasukawa and Mikuru Asakura since his retirement in 2017.
And the 45-year-old boxing legend made his sensational return to the squared circle in Dubai against Deji, who is the younger brother of famed YouTuber KSI.
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Mayweather, who retired with an unblemished 50-0 boxing record, outclassed and dominated the 25-year-old British star in a one-sided performance.
The former five-weight boxing world champion earned the third exhibition win of his career after stopping Deji in the sixth round at the Coca-Cola Arena.
In one of the most bizarre matchups of 2022, Mayweather clearly saw little threat from Deji and was even spotted dancing in between rounds.
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However, footage has since made the rounds on social media of what appeared to be Mayweather throwing missed (or tame) shots at Deji during their much-anticipated fight.
One fan was quick to claim that Mayweather was “missing the shots on purpose,” while another Twitter user suggested that ‘Money’ was “prolonging this fight.”
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“This is embarrassing,” a fan posted in response to the footage.
Somebody else tweeted: “If this isn’t staged, I don’t know what is.”
“This is why I can’t bring myself to watch these fights,” another boxing fan posted.
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While a fourth added: “He gotta do whatever it takes to keep the show running.”
Mayweather insisted that he was “proud” of Deji and admitted he was happy that his opponent delivered as “part of [the] entertainment.”
Speaking after the fight, he said: “I’m proud of you, keep up the great work.
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“I want anyone to go after their dreams, go after what they believe in, continue to work hard and continue to build. I didn’t get to where I got to overnight.
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“It took a lot of time, it took a great team. I didn’t do it by myself.
“I’m glad that he landed a good shot. This is a part of fighting, this is a part of [the] entertainment.”
Topics: Boxing, Floyd Mayweather
Adnan Riaz