Ahead of Logan Paul v Floyd Mayweather: The craziest fights in boxing history in photos

We’ve seen some crazy things happen in the world of sport but there is perhaps nothing more weird than to see boxing great Floyd Mayweather Jr come out of retirement to take on inexperienced YouTuber Logan Paul. ‘Money’, who is undefeated in 50 professional fights, during which time he has beaten some of the best boxers that ever lived, is putting his reputation and legacy on the line for all to see in Saturday’s contest at the Miami’s Hard Rock arena. What did it take for a hugely accomplished and retired fighter like Mayweather Jr to want to get back into the ring against a kid who is nothing more than an internet phenomenon? Not a lot it appears. However, this is not the first time that something as ridiculous as this has happened before and Gulf News decided we look back at some of the most bizarre, lopsided and downright funny fights that have happened in our strange times.

Freddie Flintoff vs Richard Dawson: Former England cricket captain Andrew Flintoff survived a second-round knock-down to beat American Richard Dawson on points on his heavyweight boxing debut. It was the first and last time that the 34-year-old Flintoff, who retired from cricket in 2010, fought in the ring.

Joe Hess vs Beth Bussey: At the height of the Women’s Liberation Movement in the mid-1970s martial arts champion Joe Hess took on a female fighter Beth Bussey in an exhibition match meant to display their different sparring techniques. But Bussey obviously had other plans and began to swing wildly at her male opponent leaving him with no option but to retaliate, which he did and sent her flying out of the ring with a karate kick. Needless to say Hess was booed out of the arena.

Muhammad Ali vs Dave Semenko: The great Ali took part in many exhibition bouts during his illustrious career in a bid to promote the game. But its hard to image what he hoped to accomplish when he fought Canadian ice hockey ‘tough guy’ Dave Semenko in 1983, at the age of 41. And guess how the fight ended — in a draw!

Vonda Ward vs Ann Wolfe: Ward, an American former NCAA basketball player who competed as a boxer during her career, challenged accomplished fight Ann Wolfe for the WIBA and IBA female light heavyweight titles in 2004. It was a big mistake as Ward was knocked out in the very first round by a devastating right to the head that rendered her unconscious and suffering concussion.

Hafthor Bjornsson vs Simon Vallily: Game of Thrones actor Hafthor ‘Thor’ Bjornsson, who played Gregor ‘The Mountain’ Clegane in the HBO series, took on Simon Vallily during an exhibition event at the Conrad Hotel in Dubai, Bjornsson — the 2018 World’s Strongest Man — showed off his boxing skills against the 2010 Commonwealth Games heavyweight champ Vallily. In a thrill-a-minute contest, both fighters threw heavy bombs at each other but could not force a knock-down.

Steven Ward vs Hafthor Bjornsson: The Icelandic beast Bjornsson was also involved in another exhibition match in Dubai earlier this year when he took on Ireland’s Steven Ward also at the Conrad Hotel. The fight between Thor and Ward, the former WBO European light-heavyweight champion, was watched by a sold-out crowd. Although Ward was floored when he took a monster punch to the shoulder, he survived until the end of the contest which saw both fighters’ hands raised.

Jake Paul vs Nate Robinson: YouTube sensation Jake Paul took on ex-NBA player Nate Robinson in California on the undercard of the fight card featuring Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr. Paul knocked out the 36-year-old Robinson with a wild overhand head shot. The untrained Robinson crashed to the canvas like a sack of potatoes with many believing that he had no business getting into the ring, given his lack of boxing skills.

Bernard Hopkins vs Steve Frank: In a total mismatch, all-time great Bernard Hopkins knocked out Frank in the very first round of their 1996 fight before Frank could even land a punch of his own. It was one of the fastest knockouts in boxing history.

Manny Pacquiao vs Ricky Hatton: Hatton was one of the top-10 pound-for-pound fighters in the world when took on the Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao in May 2009. But no sooner had the first bell rung Pacquiao showed that he meant business and knocked the Hatton down twice in the first round. Then in the second round he executed one of most deadly one-punch knockouts in recent boxing history when he landed a perfect left hand that dropped the British superstar to the canvas. The defeat kept Hatton out of the ring for over three years.

Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather: The UFC star donned a pair of boxing gloves to take on one of the biggest names in boxing history. Not many pundits gave tMcGregor much of a chance against the pound-for-pound king but the Irishman was all heart as he took the fight to Mayweather and even landed some telling blows of his own. But the wily Mayweather waited for McGregor to tire himself out by throwing volume strikes that did not land before he delivered the finish in the 10th round. It was not the mismatch that many thought it was and it became the second richest boxing fight in history.