TONY BELLEW warned ‘someone will get hurt’ as he slammed Logan Paul’s fight with Floyd Mayweather as ‘another version of the circus’.
Paul faces boxing icon Mayweather on June 6 in Miami in a pay-per-view exhibition.
The YouTuber has also been joined by his brother Jake in transitioning from social media sensation to prizefighter.
But ex-WBC champion Bellew fears novice fighters stepping foot in the ring could end in disaster as he took a swipe at Mayweather’s latest cash grab.
He told BBC Radio 4: “It’s all in the name and the love of money – nothing else.
“This will continue to go on until someone is badly hurt. It is as simple as that.
“Sorry to say that, but that’s what will see this off, someone getting really hurt.”
Logan, 26, has boxed only twice before, both against online rival KSI, the first of which was a white collar bout in 2018.
They draw before controversially turning pro a year later, as KSI, 27, won by scrappy split-decision.
It means Paul takes a long record into the ring against the greatest of a generation, famously retiring undefeated at 50-0.
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Jake, 24, on the other hand is 3-0 but has beat limited competiton in YouTuber ‘AnEsonGib’, ex-NBA player Nate Robinson, 36, and retired UFC welterweight Ben Askren, also 36.
And while the Paul brothers have taken the necessary steps to take their training seriously, it has inspired others to follow.
So much so that on June 5, stars from YouTube and TikTok are facing off in a serious of bouts in what is billed ‘Battle of The Platforms’.
Bellew, 38, reiterated the dangers of unqualified beginners lacing up the gloves as he opened up on the threat of serious damage.
He said: “Two celebrities will fight, someone will get hurt. That’ll be the end of it.
“No one will do it again. Well, it will probably continue. We’ll probably have an unlicensed event somewhere.
“How these [fights] are being licensed, I don’t know.”
Mayweather, 44, was quick to brush his return to the ring as ‘entertainment’ opposed to genuine competition.
And having already projected a payday of no less than £72MILLION to face his easiest opponent of all time, Bellew scoffed at the money-making bout.
He explained: “This guy is going to match up against Floyd, the greatest fighter of his generation.
“This boy has had two fights against two absolute no marks. And it’s just insane. This is not boxing. This is the world of showbusiness.
“And this has gone on for hundreds of years, there’s been men that have fought bears, guys that have gone up against the Tigers with swords back in the Gladiator days in the colosseum, it’s just now they are sticking cameras on it.
“It’s just another version of the circus.”
