Logan Paul is set to return to the boxing ring in a controversial 2021 bout against Floyd Mayweather.

Boxing fans are confidently predicting another defeat for the YouTube star, who lost his professional debut against fellow entertainer KSI following a notable two-point deduction.

The unusual incident occurred in their second bout, which was a fully sanctioned professional bout, unlike the first, which was unlicensed and resulted in a draw.

In the fourth round of a scheduled six, KSI backed Paul into a corner and threw a left hand while leaning forwards. Paul countered effectively, catching KSI with a right uppercut that knocked him to the canvas.

However, the referee took issue with the knockdown.

He called time out, giving KSI time to recover and explained to the judges at ringside: “Score the knockdown then take away two points for hitting him when he was down."

The slow-motion replay revealed that – while the initial right uppercut was a clean punch – Paul also threw a follow up while holding KSI’s head, which is an illegal shot within the rules of boxing. Worse still, he follows up that foul by throwing a shot while KSI is already on the canvas.

The double infringement saw the referee take unusually harsh action, deducting two points. It’s fair too that KSI was given time to recover, the British fighter was seen to stumble around the ring after the exchange, with much of that damage having been inflicted by illegal shots. He went on to win the fight by split decision.

It’s very rare to see a similar flouting of the rules, in quite this style, in a professional boxing ring. The fact that the pair were relatively new to the sport is the real explanation for this exchange.

Full-time professional boxers are especially cautious when it comes to hitting a man who’s already down, as this particular infringement can lead to a disqualification.