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Floyd Mayweather announces return to boxing with February exhibition vs. Logan Paul, James Harden’s cloudy future in Houston, and more sports news

Floyd Mayweather continues to prove that he is a businessman first and a boxer second after the announcement of his next boxing match.

Floyd Mayweather last fought in a 2018 exhibition against Korean kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa.
Floyd Mayweather last fought in a 2018 exhibition against Korean kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa.Read moreKoji Sasahara / AP

Say what you want about Floyd Mayweather’s competitive nature, but it’s hard to deny that he’s one of the smartest athletes in history on the busnewsroom-styleiness side.

The retired boxer is cashing in on another opportunity in February, planning to fight Logan Paul in an exhibition fight.

Paul is a YouTuber turned boxer and the brother of Jake Paul, who knocked Nate Robinson out cold last weekend.

This would be a bigger upset than Buster Douglas over Mike Tyson. Paul lost his last boxing match against another YouTuber, so he isn’t a dominant young up-and-comer.

This is all about the money for Mayweather. It’s another chance for him to make millions while making easy work of an opponent. Just take his last two known fights for example. Mayweather defeated Conor McGregor in what was the second-highest pay-per view buy rate in boxing history. He then knocked out Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in the first round of an exhibition and made a quick $9 million.

Some boxing heads and fans of combat sports don’t like Mayweather’s style. It’s potentially damaging to the boxing brand. Comments like those made by the UFC’s Dana White are all too common.

“When people ask me, ‘What’s the state of boxing right now?’ That’s where it’s at,” White said on the Nelk Boys podcast. “Didn’t that kid get beat up by the [expletive] video game kid from England and now he’s going to fight Floyd Mayweather?”

But Mayweather’s style works. This fight will probably have more pay-per-view buys than any championship boxing match in 2020. His name and flashy persona are major draws, and he’ll take advantage of that with easy fights to make some millions.

James Harden’s future in Houston is unknown

There’s a saying that action speaks louder than words. It would be wise to use that when determining James Harden’s future in Houston.

John Wall said he spoke to Harden and “for sure” expects him to be at camp. So far, Harden has been a no-show for the first practice and individual workouts.

It’s not really the best situation for new head coach Stephen Silas.

To make matters worse, videos on the internet showed Harden clubbing the night before the first practice.

It seems as if Harden isn’t on the same page as the front office. If he was committed to winning a championship in Houston, it’d be more ideal to have the team’s leader showing up early to greet all the new members of the team.

Instead, Houston is unsure of where it’ll go with its franchise player. The Rockets added John Wall, Christian Wood and DeMarcus Cousins. If healthy and effective, this group is good enough for Harden to take another title chance with.

A report by The Athletic indicated that one reason Russell Westbrook wanted out of Houston was because of the lack of accountability. It’s no secret Chris Paul and Harden weren’t and aren’t the best of friends after their tenure in Houston. Paul and Westbrook are known as two of the league’s most fierce competitors, and maybe their styles didn’t blend well with Harden.

Houston wants to keep Harden, so it’s the organization’s hope that Wall and Cousins don’t feel like Paul and Westbrook.

Damian Lillard takes slick shot at Paul George’s loyalty

Paul George may have started the war, but now Damian Lillard is finishing him every chance he gets.

George said at Clippers media day that he wants to retire a Clipper. The comments made news because he made similar statements with the Pacers and Thunder, so Lillard chimed in.

The “Al Capone” comment was a slick jab. Lillard essentially said George’s statement was “cap,” which is a slang term for a lie.

This all started when George called Lillard’s series-ending buzzer-beater a “bad shot” when Dame sank a 35-footer over PG-13′s outstretched arms two seasons ago. George and teammate Patrick Beverly made jokes about Lillard missing free throws in a bubble matchup against the Clippers that resulted in a Blazers loss.

Since then, Lillard has been on the full attack. First, he let his hot bubble play do the talking, and then he made a few Twitter jokes about the Clippers choking after surrendering a 3-1 lead against the Nuggets. Now, he’s laughing at George’s loyalty.

People keep talking about those Clippers-Lakers matchups. If social media interaction is any indication, Clippers-Blazers will be just as fun to watch.