Jake Paul and Floyd Mayweather were involved in an altercation outside the Miami-Dade Arena following the Miami Heat vs. Cleveland Cavaliers game on Wednesday.
The incident was captured on video by someone in Mayweather’s entourage and later handed over to TMZ, who posted the clip showing the confrontation.
Based on the video, Mayweather and his crew approach Paul, who is flanked by a lone security guard. The person holding the camera says, “Are we going to bust him up, guys?”
The person from Mayweather’s crew then says, “Where you running, Jake?” Paul begins backpedaling out of the swarm of people surrounding him. As members of Mayweather’s team continue shouting, Paul eventually turns and sprints away from the situation as a few people momentarily give chase.
“Look, he’s running! Jake Paul running champ! Why is he running?” the person holding the camera shouted.
It appears security and others nearby defuse the situation, with Mayweather eventually turning and leaving with Paul already far away from him.
After the incident unfolded, Paul addressed the altercation on Instagram, writing he was effectively ambushed by Mayweather and his team outside the arena.
“So I’m leaving the Miami Heat game and Floyd Mayweather and 50 dudes pull up out of nowhere,” Paul said. “Out of some side alley waiting for me outside of the stadium. They’re like ‘what’s up, what’s all that talk now!’
“I’m like first of all, what did I say to you Floyd? I just took your hat and you’re still mad about it? Come on, bro. Then 50 dudes literally start surrounding me trying to jump me. I’m out that b****.”
Back in 2021, Paul famously snatched a baseball hat off Mayweather’s head following a press conference promoting the retired boxer’s exhibition bout against Logan Paul. That incident nearly led to an entirely different brawl as Mayweather went after Paul for grabbing the hat off his head.
According to the TMZ report, sources close to Mayweather claimed that he didn’t attempt to jump Paul but rather just happened to run into him after the basketball game was over. The confrontation allegedly stemmed from comments Paul made about Mayweather that apparently crossed the line from the usual trash talk between fighters.
For his part, Paul made no excuses for running away from a potentially volatile situation. He was clearly outnumbered with at least one member of Mayweather’s team repeatedly stating, “Let’s bust him up.”
Paul, who recently lost his first professional bout in a split decision to Tommy Fury, offered to fight Mayweather, but he won’t be engaging in a street brawl, where the odds are most definitely against him.
“Floyd, you want to run it one-on-one, no problem but I’m not dumb,” Paul said. “I’m tough. I don’t need to prove my toughness but I’m not f****** dumb. I’m not going to sit there and try to fight 50 dudes. Dipped out of that b****.
“Floyd, you’re a h* bro. You’re mad cause I took your f****** hat, are you serious? Get over it, bro. Move on.”