FLOYD MAYWEATHER and David Haye’s returns to the ring have been slammed by boxing promoter Eddie Hearn.
Former five-weight world champion Mayweather, 44, returned to ring in June for an eight-round exhibition bout with YouTube star Logan Paul, which ended up going the distance.
Ex-WBA heavyweight champ Haye, meanwhile, is set to return to the ring next month for a pro bout with his good friend Joe Fournier.
The bouts are the latest in a string of retired pros coming back to the ring for lucrative paydays, a trend Matchroom boxing chief Hearn isn’t a fan of.
During an appearance on talkSPORT, he said: “Floyd Mayweather vs Logan Paul was just a joke and so’s David Haye vs Joe Fournier, but it’s just a bit of fun…
“Some people want to almost respect their legacy in the sport and some just wanna make as much money as possible.
“We just need to focus on boxing.
“The Josh Warrington card with Katie Taylor and Conor Benn. The AJ vs Usyk fight, this is what we need to focus on.
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“We need to deliver numbers for DAZN and our broadcasters because otherwise broadcasters will be asking for YouTube fights and that’s not a sport I wanna be in.
“I’ve done that before, we had a bit of fun, it was a bit cringe to be honest, it was tough at times, but I do understand the demand.
“But we’ve gotta make sure we focus on the sport, rather than just the other side, because otherwise you’ll see that more and more.”
Hearn himself has dabbled in the world of YouTube boxing, promoting KSI’s rematch with Paul in November 2019.
The 42-year-old, however, has no intention of getting back into the YouTube fight game, saying: “I’ve been on that side when I did KSI vs Logan Paul.
“It’s a mad world and, since I did that fight, it seems like there’s a YouTube fight every week.
“I’ve tried to move a little bit away from that because I think boxing needs to stand up and be counted.
“And the only way we can do that is to make great fights.
“Because if we don’t make great fights, what we’re seeing in terms of David Haye vs Joe Fournier, Jake Paul, Floyd Mayweather vs Logan Paul, will become much more regular, because they do rate.”
As much as he’s not a fan of YouTuber fighters, Hearn admits he respects Jake Paul for agreeing to fight former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.
He said: “I don’t mind it, look, Jake Paul vs Tyron Woodley, I don’t have an issue with it.
“Jake Paul’s putting the work in, he’s now had three fights, he’s fighting a guy that can fight in some capacity and he’s a UFC champion.”
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