Axios Sports: Boxing's alternate universe — Lakers, Blazers lose — USFL returns

1 big thing: 🥊 Boxing's alternative universe | Friday, June 04, 2021

Open in app View in browser   Presented By BRD   Axios Sports By Kendall Baker ·Jun 04, 2021 🎉 Happy Friday! You made it. 🏖 Editor's note: I'm off next week, so Jeff Tracy will be running the show in my absence. See ya soon! Today's word count: 1,874 words (7 minutes). Let's sports...     1 big thing: 🥊 Boxing's alternative universe Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios   One of the greatest boxers of all time will return to the ring this weekend — to fight a social media star. Welcome to boxing's alternate universe. Driving the news: 44-year-old Floyd Mayweather will fight 26-year-old Logan Paul in an exhibition bout on Sunday at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium ($49.99 on Showtime PPV). The fight isn't sanctioned, so while knockouts aren't prohibited, no official winner will be declared. There will be eight three-minute rounds, no judges and no headgear. In case you weren't fully convinced that this is a celebrity circus, Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson will make his boxing debut on the undercard. The backdrop: Paul and his brother, Jake, have turned to boxing as a way to capitalize on their internet fame. Jake knocked out former MMA fighter Ben Askren in April exhibition that earned him a reported $10 million, and his next foe will be former MMA champion Tyron Woodley. Over a million people paid to watch Logan's first fight with fellow social media star KSI on YouTube, and their 2019 rematch was one of DAZN's biggest events of the year. Photo: Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images The big picture: While some believe these bouts can exist alongside "real boxing" without doing any harm, others think it makes a mockery of the sport, turning a prideful profession into nothing more than content. "My goal is to be the biggest entertainer on the planet. And putting on big fights and big shows as a freelance fighter is a good way to do that." — Logan Paul, via ESPN Between the lines: The rise of these sideshow bouts was driven by the social media age, but it's also a result of "real boxing" failing to entertain. "There is more money in boxing than ever. There are more outlets eager to televise it. But the biggest boxers are not fighting each other," writes SI's Chris Mannix (subscription). "Fighters demanding fights has been replaced by fighters asking for them if the promoter can make it and if it won't tick off a network too much." Final numbers ... As boxing purists feared, celebrity bouts are grabbing more attention than top-tier fights. That's according to a May survey of 2,072 American adults conducted by The Harris Poll and provided exclusively to Axios. 40% heard about the Mayweather-Paul fight 30% heard about the Paul-Askren fight 29% heard about the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder rematch of their prior heavyweight title fights 23% heard about Canelo Alvarez boxing Billy Joe Saunders for the Super Middleweight titles 19% heard about Josh Taylor boxing Jose Ramirez for the unified Junior Welterweight Title     2. 🏀 NBA playoffs: Lakers, Blazers eliminated Courtesy: NBA LeBron James and the defending champion Lakers bowed out in the first round with Thursday night's 113-100 loss to the Suns. An injured Anthony Davis lasted just five minutes. Ever since he went down in Game 4, the Lakers led for just four total minutes. The defending champs trailed by 30 points in Game 5 and 29 points in Game 6 — the two largest deficits of James' playoff career. Why it matters: This is the first time James has ever been eliminated in the first round — and it's the just the second time since 2010 that he won't be playing in the NBA Finals. Think about that. The big picture: "The King" has been the face of the NBA for most of this century, and very much still is. But the torch is slowly being passed to a new generation of players, many of whom grew up idolizing him. Devin Booker, who turned 7 years old the day after James made his 2003 NBA debut, scored 47 points in Thursday night's win, elevating himself into the next tier of stardom. MVP favorite Nikola Jokić, who was an unknown prospect during James' first stint in Cleveland, scored 36 points to help the Nuggets eliminate the Trail Blazers. What's next: Following a disappointing and injury-riddled season, the Lakers will retool for another title run. As for James, he'll now get more offseason rest than he's had in years. 📆 Tonight ... Clippers at Mavericks, 9pm ET (DAL leads 3-2)     3. 🇯🇵 The Olympics standoff continues Data: CSSE Johns Hopkins University; Chart: Axios Visuals Roughly 10,000 of Tokyo's 80,000 Olympics volunteers have quit, according to the organizing committee, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. Why it matters: This walkout underscores that locals are still mostly against the Olympics being held in a country that just last week extended its state of emergency through at least June 20. By the numbers: Just 17% of Japanese adults think the Olympics should still be held as scheduled, down from 25% when they were asked in March, per a Morning Consult poll. The big picture: Japan is hardly out of the woods yet, but as you can see in the chart above, the numbers are improving, with the seven-day average (3,113 cases) at its lowest point in nearly two months. That has led many Tokyo locals to resume living relatively normal lives, with bars and restaurants packed every night. Yes, but: There's a big difference between containing the spread among residents and inviting tens of thousands of foreigners into the country. Go deeper: The Olympics are still set to go on, but at what cost? (The Athletic)     A message from BRD The second best time to buy crypto is now     Crypto is here to stay. Now it's easier than ever to get involved. BRD is one of the fastest and simplest ways to get started buying bitcoin, ethereum and several other cryptocurrencies. Get into the crypto market sooner rather than later with BRD.     4. 🇺🇸 Photos across America Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Another night, another pair of overtime games. The Bruins beat the Islanders, 2-1 (BOS leads 2-1), and the Hurricanes beat the Lightning, 3-2 (TB leads 2-1). Playoff hockey rules. Courtesy: NCAA OKLAHOMA CITY — Unseeded James Madison delivered one of the biggest upsets in Women's College World Series history, beating top-seeded Oklahoma, 4-3, in extra innings. Photo: John Dorton/ISI Photos/Getty Images DENVER — The USMNT beat Honduras, 1-0, in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals thanks to Jordan Siebatcheu's 89th-minute header. Next up: Mexico in Sunday's final.     5. 🚫 Snapshot: Trans youth bans Data: ACLU, Freedom for All Americans; Cartogram: Michelle McGhee/Axios Eight states this year have banned transgender kids from playing on sports teams that match their gender identity, Axios' Orion Rummler writes. Why it matters: So far, almost all of the record number of bills targeting trans youth that have actually passed are focused on sports, suggesting that more laws of this kind could be incoming. Republicans backing the bills say the legislation ensures fairness in women's sports, although multiple states that have passed bills — including Arkansas and West Virginia — have been unable to provide evidence of trans athletes gaining unfair advantages in competitions. The ACLU and Human Rights Campaign have announced lawsuits in response to the new laws, with the latest effort led by the HRC in Florida.     6. 🏈 The USFL, reassembled Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios   The United States Football League will relaunch next spring, nearly 40 years after the original version folded, Jeff writes. Details: Games will be broadcast on Fox Sports, which holds a minority stake in the company that owns the league. There will be at least eight teams, and the USFL has retained the rights to "key original team names," meaning they could have as many as 19 stellar options to bring back (our favorite: Memphis Showboats). Brian Woods, founder and CEO of The Spring League — which is meant to give aspiring pros a place to showcase their talents — is co-founder of the new USFL. Catch up quick: The USFL launched in 1983 with lucrative TV deals and no salary cap, which helped attract major talent including future Hall of Famers Steve Young, Jim Kelly and Reggie White. After a few successful years, Donald Trump — who owned the New Jersey Generals — suggested they switch to a fall schedule to compete directly with the NFL in the hopes of forcing a merger. The plan backfired. The USFL's antitrust lawsuit against the NFL led to its own demise after the judge deemed most of the league's failings stemmed not from the NFL's monopoly, but from internal mismanagement. The big picture: Thursday's announcement was the easy part. Now, the new USFL has to build a viable product, which is easier said than done. Recent history has shown just how difficult it is to launch a professional football league. Just ask the XFL (2001), the UFL (2009–12), the FXFL (2014–16), the AAF (2019) or the XFL 2.0 (2020). Meanwhile, this isn't even the only professional spring football league attempting a comeback, as Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson's XFL 3.0 is also in the mix. The bottom line: Is there room for two leagues in a space that has thus far proven inhospitable to even one at a time? We'll find out next year. 🎥 Watch ... Small Potatoes: Who killed the USFL? (ESPN+)     7. ⚡️ Lightning round Map: Danielle Alberti 🥍 PLL returns: The Premier Lacrosse League kicks off its third season this weekend with five games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The opening game is tonight (7pm ET, Peacock). 🐎 Belmont odds: Essential Quality (2-1) is the favorite on Saturday, and the favorite has won over 40% of the time in Belmont Stakes history. But the 2021 Triple Crown season has been dominated by underdogs. 🎾 Barty withdraws: Just eight of the top 16 women's seeds at Roland Garros remain in the field after No. 1 seed Ashleigh Barty withdrew because of an injury. ⚾️ College baseball: The NCAA tournament gets underway for 64 teams this weekend, with eight regionals across the country. Expert picks. 🏒 Calling all teenagers: For the third straight year, the NHL will accept applications for NHL Power Players, a youth advisory (ages 13–17) to help advise the league improve its product. Apply here.     8. 📅 June 4, 1927: The first Ryder Cup The 1927 U.S. Ryder Cup team. Photo: Bettmann Archives/Getty Images   94 years ago today, the U.S. beat Great Britain in the first Ryder Cup, 9½ - 2½, at Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts. Overview: The Ryder Cup is played for pride rather than prize money, with various match play competitions across the biennial, three-day event. The format (since 1979): 28 possible points, with 14½ required to win. 16 points are available in two-on-two matches played Friday and Saturday; 12 are available in Sunday's singles play. Past results: The U.S. went 18-3 up until 1979, when Great Britain's team expanded to include all of Europe. Since then, the U.S. holds an 11-8 advantage (with one tie). Top performers: America's Phil Mickelson has the most appearances (12), while Spain's Sergio Garcia has the most points (25½). Coming up: The 43rd Ryder Cup, originally scheduled for last fall, will be held in September at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin. Team USA: Captain Steve Stricker will select six golfers to play alongside the six leaders in the U.S. Ryder Cup points standings. Right now, that's Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele. Team Europe: Captain Pádraig Harrington will select three golfers to play alongside the top four on the European points list and the next five on the World points list. That includes Spain's Jon Rahm, Norway's Viktor Hovland, Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, France's Victor Perez and England's Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Paul Casey, Lee Westwood and Matthew Fitzpatrick. Go deeper: Full points list for each team (Ryder Cup)     9. ⚾️ MLB trivia Photo: Gary Coronado/L.A. Times via Getty Images   Albert Pujols recently passed Babe Ruth for fourth on MLB's all-time extra-base hits list with 1,357. Question: Who are the only three players ahead of Pujols? Hint: Only one is still living. Answer at the bottom.     10. ⭐️ MLB All-Star voting is now open MLB All-Star voting has opened ahead of the July 13 game at Denver's Coors Field. Starting pitchers aren't selected by fans, but we included our choices anyway. The NL DH is chosen by the manager among the reserves, but again, we chose a starter. Here's are our teams... Graphic: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios Graphic: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios Go vote for your guys.     A message from BRD The second best time to buy crypto is now     Crypto is here to stay. Now it's easier than ever to get involved. BRD is one of the fastest and simplest ways to get started buying bitcoin, ethereum and several other cryptocurrencies. Get into the crypto market sooner rather than later with BRD.   Enjoy the weekend, Kendall "Out of office" Baker Trivia answer: Hank Aaron (1,477 extra-base hits), Barry Bonds (1,440), Stan Musial (1,377) Like this style and format? Request access to Axios HQ The tool and templates you need for more engaging team updates.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: