Floyd Mayweather said he won't ever fight again after his boxing exhibition with Logan Paul

• Floyd Mayweather may never box again.
• He certainly won't fight as a pro, he said Sunday, and he "probably" won't box an exhibition either.
• Mayweather made the comments after boxing eight rounds with YouTube personality Logan Paul.

Floyd Mayweather said he won't ever fight again after his boxing exhibition Sunday with Logan Paul.

The unofficial contest, which won't take count on either of their pro boxing records, took place at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, and the underdog, Paul, surprised many observers by surviving the eight-round fight.

After a reasonable effort in the opening round, Paul appeared fatigued and made mistakes that Mayweather capitalized on, as he out-landed the YouTuber at will with chin-cracking power punches.

"I was fighting to put on a show, and he was fighting to survive," said Mayweather at a post-fight press conference inside the same venue. "If he tried to fight a lot more, then it probably wouldn't have gone the eight."

With no scorecards, the only way to score a win would have been a knockout, and Mayweather said he was unable to finish Paul because the 26-year-old tied him up with anti-boxing moves whenever he threw, or received, a shot.

"Every time he got punched, he clinched," Paul said. "Every time he punched, he clinched. He was the bigger guy. A little awkward. His background is wrestling, so he was good at tying me up. Coming in at 200-something pounds.

"No excuses. I had fun and put on a show. Going the distance was a win for him - he seemed happy going the distance. He can grapple. He's good at holding."

During his pro career, Mayweather achieved champion status in five weight divisions from super featherweight (130 pounds) to super welterweight (154 pounds), retiring in 2017.

He took part in an exhibition against a young Japanese kickboxer called Tenshin Nasukawa in 2018, but was the naturally larger athlete at that Tokyo event.

Mayweather has never given up as much of a size advantage as he did this weekend. He weighed 155 pounds compared to Paul's 189.5 - a 34.5-pound difference.

The 44-year-old claimed that Paul weighed more when he was in the ring, and was likely more than 200 pounds after rehydrating.

"It's hard to get a heavyweight off of you," he said. "I fight at welterweight, fighting a heavyweight. Me being this small shouldn't be able to walk to a man that big.

"I was pressing the action but he would punch, two punch, and then hold. His whole goal wasn't to knock me out, but to survive. And that's a win for him.

"But when the history books are written, I'll always be TBE [The Best Ever]."

Mayweather hinted at a retirement from the exhibition industry

"I'm retired from the sport of boxing," Mayweather said, reiterating a four-year stance that stretches back to a 10th round stoppage win over the former two-weight UFC champion Conor McGregor in 2017.

The former fighter, though, said he may not even take part in exhibitions in the future, citing the wear-and-tear preparations and the fights themselves have on his body.

"When it's blood, sweat, and tears, you abuse the body. As far as me coming back in the sport of boxing, absolutely not. As far as me doing an exhibition again, probably not," he said. "I made my mark on the sport, and got all my faculties."

The event was broadcast as a Showtime pay-per-view, and the Showtime Sports President Stephen Espinoza agreed that fans may not see Mayweather as a boxer ever again.

"Despite everything I've tried over the last six years, this may be the last time we see him in the ring," said Espinoza.

The executive, who has an ongoing partnership with Mayweather and his promotional vehicle Mayweather Promotions, then praised Mayweather for the way in which he changed the fight game by defying his fiercest critics over the years.

"Whether you like the exhibition or not, agree on the opponent or not, give this man his flowers today. They said he was too small to lead the sport of boxing, a small guy, who wasn't going to make money.

Mayweather has consistently proved his critics wrong, Espinoza said, reeling off a list of occasions when people doubted him.

"He's the guy who left [Top Rank] the big promoter [in 2006, and they said] he wasn't going to have a successful career.

"Back in 2014, they thought he was done. Another network [HBO] let him go because they thought his best days were behind him.

"We saw the last of him in 2015 [against Manny Pacquiao], he gave us a record-breaking bonus [against McGregor] in 2017. A little taste in Japan, and another little reminder [tonight].

"There'll be criticism, but we can't pay attention to that. Give this man his respect because for every true boxing fan, it's a joy to see him in the ring every time he gets in there."

Finishing, Mayweather's long-time business partner Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, said: "I was really proud of Floyd. He went out there and entertained the fans.

"We don't care about criticism as we're winning at life."