The Pardon My Take podcast announced in mid-January that former MLB player Jose Canseco would face off with Barstool Sports intern Billy Football in a boxing match. The bout took place on Friday night, marking the start of Super Bowl weekend. Billy Football secured a quick, first-round victory over his opponent, sparking a multitude of comments on social media.
Early in the first round of the fight, Billy Football came running at Canseco, throwing a flurry of punches. He hit the former baseball player in the head and in the stomach. Canseco tried to push the intern away but only received more punches in return. He fell to the mat in the corner of the ring as the referee came rushing in to stop the fight. Billy Football celebrated by jumping backward while yelling.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Down goes Jose Canseco, who can’t get up and then quits. pic.twitter.com/HBFoIeYU3c
— Tyler Treese (@tylertreese) February 6, 2021
“This was a fake fight. Jose didn’t try and took the L for views,” one Twitter user commented after watching the end of the fight. Many others responded and made comments about whether the bout was worth $20. The comments continued as several people tried to determine if the fight was actually real.
Prior to the “Rough ‘N Rowdy” boxing match put on by Barstool Sports, Canseco made a bold claim. He said that he would defeat Billy Football and then shift his attention to his daughter Josie’s ex-boyfriend. “Logan Paul, I am coming for you after I wreck this guy,” Canseco told the outlet. The former MLB player has repeatedly called out Paul after the YouTuber split up with his daughter.
The bout did not play out as expected due to Canseco losing in mere seconds, leading to some criticism from Barstool Sports founder and president Dave Portnoy. “Jose 100% took a dive,” Portnoy tweeted. “We paid half up front and he got double if he won. We thought that would ensure he’d fight. We were wrong.”
Portnoy also provided some insight into the amount of money that Canseco made by losing in the first round. He explained that the former MLB player had a $50,000 guarantee and that he would get another $50,000 if he beat Billy Football. Additionally, Canseco had a revenue share if Barstool Sports broke its record for pay-per-view purchases. “Get ready to puke. Jose made over 1 million dollars for 5 seconds last night,” Portnoy tweeted.
