The new entrants to the Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul case are Brian Maxwell and Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson.
The boxing match between BKFC veteran Maxwell and former NFL star Johnson is expected to last four or six rounds.
Maxwell first shared the news with Shawn Barksdale’s Ten Minutes of Truth podcast in Roanoke, Virginia. The news was later reported by ESPN and Bare Knuckle FC.
Maxwell, a 33-year-old mixed martial artist from Rocky Mount, Virginia, was born on August 16, 1987. He began his professional MMA career in 2016. He has four fights under his belt out of which he has won two of them.
Maxwell made his Bare Knuckle debut against Jared Warren at BKFC 8, but was defeated by TKO in the first round. Last year, he fought Ulysses Diaz and Tee Cummins in Bare Knuckle bouts, losing both.
His challenger for the June 6 card, unlike Brian Maxwell, is a complete novice in the field of action sports, but he is a competitor nevertheless.
Johnson, best known as Chad Ochocinco, is a former NFL wide receiver who was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft.
After ten seasons with the Bengals, he was traded to the New England Patriots in 2011 and then to the Miami Dolphins in 2012. He has previously played for the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes and the Liga de Ftbol Americano Profesional de México’s Monterrey Fundidores.
Maxwell says Masvidal aided success
Following the announcement of the war, Maxwell appeared on James Lynch’s podcast to discuss it.
When asked how his name came up as a possible opponent for Chad Johnson, Maxwell revealed that Jorge Masvidal may have had something to do with it.
Maxwell said, “I’m still trying to figure out how many name came up into this. Like I’ve had several conversations with Chad on the phone.
“He’s called me and we texted each other. We had a conversation and he was like my name came up through Jorge Masvidal and someone else. I was like ‘What? Really? How do they know me?’ I was freaked out by that.
“Of course, I fight for Bare Knuckle and I have a decent following. I feel like I got some star power with Bare Knuckle. I was very grateful they chose me, I’m still trying to figure out how they chose me.
“But like I said I accepted the fight and we’re here and now I get to fight my idol.”
Read more: Weathering the storm: Analysing Floyd Mayweather and the legacy he has left behind