Floyd Mayweather's recent exhibition fight against YouTube celebrity Logan Paul elicited the desired effect: tons of uproar from boxing diehards, but tons of attention from everyone else.
The non-competitive encounter between two completely different sized and mis-matched opponents finished without an official winner but made both men a ridiculously-large amount of money on PPV.
However it was rather telling just how involved Jake Paul, Logan's younger brother who also made his name streaming content and also participates in boxing spectacles, was in the build-up to this attraction.
Which begs the question: is that where we're headed now?
Who is Jake Paul?
While older sibling Logan was the first to experiment with the boxing sideshow route in a pair of bouts with fellow online personality KSI, Jake Paul did something big bro couldn't when he followed suit: win.
Logan drew and then lost to KSI, and of course there is no official winner registered for his contest with Mayweather — though the undefeated 50-0 legend of course carried his unworthy adversary through the entire spectacle.
Jake, meanwhile, started off with a knockout win over another streamer in AnEsonGib, then followed that with another finish at the expense of retired NBA star Nate Robinson on the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. legends fight undercard.
His most recent outing was a swift KO on UFC grappler Ben Askren, while another MMA star is next when he squares off against Tyron Woodley on Aug. 28.
What did Jake Paul do to Mayweather?
At the media event before Mayweather vs. Logan Paul, Jake commandeered the attention in his back-and-forth with his brother's upcoming opponent. He then 'capped' the brash antics, pardon the pun, by swiping the baseball hat off the retired boxer's head and running off.
Constant "gotcha hat" references followed as Jake looked to make it into a catchphrase of sorts, even getting a tattoo to commemorate the incident. Meanwhile, many wondered which of the brothers was actually stepping into the ring with Floyd, as the irked former world champion remarked he would "beat both in the same night".
So, is Mayweather going to fight again?
He has been very clear that he is completely open to more exhibitions, but his days of sanctioned professional boxing contests are over. And that makes sense: he has his 50-0 record he covets and the legacy that comes with never being defeated.
That means all of the hat-based beef between the two could potentially set up an exhibition in a similar vein to the Logan one up nicely. However, it may not fit Jake's own M.O. at present.
Is Jake Paul a real boxer?
Not really. All of his opponents have been boxing first-timers, and for a good reason. Jake certainly has more boxing skill than Logan, and the 'pop' in his power punches is very real, but there's a reason despite all his claims that he will try his hand at proper ranked professional boxing, he has never even discussed facing a top-25 cruiserweight contender.
A lot of Jake's pulling power stems from the fact everyone wants to see him fail, but he keeps winning. Askren was a fighter, people argued, so the big-mouth YouTuber will finally get his, right? Wrong. Askren by his own admission to a friend knew his strength was grappling, not striking, and that if Jake could actually punch, he'd be in trouble.
Woodley was an actual striker in the Octagon, so this is the end of the road for Jake, surely? Actually, boxing is about more than just striking and we will see exactly how he adapts.
If Jake Paul fought Mayweather, he'd likely have to do so in the knowledge that his current image of being 'unbeaten' against carefully-selected foes will be eradicated by the Michigan man, even without an official winner declared.
So, when will Jake Paul vs. Mayweather happen?
Not any time soon, with Jake's dance card booked up to the end of August.
Perhaps this year, if Jake decides the one-off with Floyd would be more lucrative than the bouts with random celebrities will be for the foreseeable future, or even if he does indeed lose to Woodley.
A 3-1 Jake would still be able to milk the 'gotcha hat' angle into another case of what Mayweather referred to as 'legalised bank robbery' prior to the Logan exhibition.
And would we watch it. No! Of course not! Probably.