Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr., born Sinclair on February 24, 1977, is widely recognized as one of the greatest boxers of all time. He retired in 2017 with an undefeated record, having won 15 major world championships across five weight classes, ranging from super featherweight to light middleweight. This includes the prestigious Ring magazine title in five weight classes and the lineal championship in four weight classes (twice at welterweight).

Mayweather began his boxing career as an amateur and quickly gained recognition, winning a bronze medal in the featherweight division at the 1996 Olympics. He went on to win three U.S. Golden Gloves championships (at light flyweight, flyweight, and featherweight) and the U.S. national championship at featherweight.

Throughout his professional career, Mayweather was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the 2010s by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA), a two-time winner of The Ring magazine's Fighter of the Year award (1998 and 2007), a three-time winner of the BWAA Fighter of the Year award (2007, 2013, and 2015), and a six-time winner of the Best Fighter ESPY Award (2007–2010, 2012–2014). In 2016, ESPN ranked him the greatest boxer, pound for pound, of the last 25 years, and as of May 2021, BoxRec ranks him the greatest boxer of all time, pound for pound.

Mayweather's defensive skills are widely regarded as the best in the history of the sport. Since the existence of CompuBox, he has been the most accurate puncher among professional boxers, boasting the highest plus–minus ratio in recorded boxing history. He has a record of 26 consecutive wins in world title fights (10 by KO), 23 wins (9 KOs) in lineal title fights, 24 wins (7 KOs) against former or current world titlists, 12 wins (3 KOs) against former or current lineal champions, and 5 wins (1 KO) against International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees. In 2021, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Mayweather's success as a pay-per-view attraction is unparalleled. He has generated approximately 24 million PPV buys and $1.67 billion in revenue throughout his career, surpassing the likes of former top PPV attractions including Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, and Oscar De La Hoya. He founded his own boxing promotional firm, Mayweather Promotions, in 2006 after leaving Bob Arum's Top Rank.

Mayweather has consistently been ranked as one of the highest-paid athletes in the world, topping the Forbes and Sports Illustrated lists of the 50 highest-paid athletes of 2012 and 2013 and the Forbes list again in both 2014 and 2015. In 2018, he was the highest-paid athlete in the world, with total earnings, including endorsements, of $285 million, according to Forbes. As of November 2021, Sportico released an all-time athlete earnings list, in which Mayweather ranked no. 6 of all time, totaling an inflation-adjusted $1.2 billion in his career.

## Early Life:

Floyd Mayweather Jr. was born on February 24, 1977, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, into a family of boxers. His father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., was a welterweight contender who fought Hall of Famer Sugar Ray Leonard, while his uncles Jeff and Roger Mayweather were professional boxers, with Roger winning two world championships and fighting Hall of Famers Julio César Chávez, Pernell Whitaker, and Kostya Tszyu. Mayweather was born with his mother's last name but changed it to Mayweather shortly thereafter. His maternal grandfather was born in Kingston, Jamaica.

Boxing has been an integral part of Mayweather's life since childhood, and he never seriously considered any other profession. According to Mayweather, it was his grandmother who saw his potential first and encouraged him to keep boxing. During the 1980s, Mayweather lived in the Hiram Square neighborhood of New Brunswick, New Jersey, where his mother had relatives. Mayweather said that when he was about eight or nine years old, he lived in New Jersey with his mother, and they were seven people in one bedroom, sometimes without electricity. He often found used heroin needles in his front yard after coming home from school. Mayweather's mother was addicted to drugs, and he had an aunt who died from AIDS due to drug use.

Mayweather's father spent most of his time taking him to the gym to train and work on his boxing skills. However, Mayweather doesn't remember his father taking him anywhere or doing anything that a father would do with his son, such as going to the park, movies or getting ice cream. According to Mayweather, he always felt that his father favored his sister over him, as she never got whippings, while Mayweather got whippings all the time.

Mayweather's father contends that Floyd is not telling the truth about their early relationship. He claims that he did not deprive his son of anything and provided him with plenty of food, the best clothes, and gave him money. The elder Mayweather insists that he spent his days with his son, taking him to the gym and training him to be a boxer. He maintains that if it wasn't for him, his son would not be where he is today.

Mayweather dropped out of high school and put all his energy into boxing as his father served time in prison. He knew that he had to take care of his mother and made the decision that school wasn't that important at the time. Mayweather said, "My life was ups and downs. I basically raised myself, and when my grandmother got mad at me, I'd go to my mom's house." Despite the challenges he faced growing up, boxing provided Mayweather with an outlet and a means to earn a living.

## Amateur Career

Mayweather's amateur career was marked by incredible success and impressive defensive skills, both of which were honed by his father and uncle, Roger Mayweather. With a record of 84 wins and 8 losses, Mayweather won multiple national Golden Gloves championships in his weight class, including the 1993, 1994, and 1996 championships at 106 lb, 114 lb, and 125 lb, respectively. His uncanny ability to avoid cuts and bruises on his face earned him the nickname "Pretty Boy" from his amateur teammates. Mayweather's defensive stance, which utilizes the shoulder roll technique, allowed him to effectively block, slip, and deflect punches from his opponents, even when backed into a corner.

### 1996 Olympics

At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Mayweather competed in the featherweight (57-kg) division and won a bronze medal. In his first fight against Bakhtiyar Tileganov of Kazakhstan, Mayweather led 10-1 on points before the fight was stopped. He then outpointed Artur Gevorgyan of Armenia 16-3 in the second fight. In the quarterfinals, he narrowly defeated Lorenzo Aragon of Cuba 12-11 in a high-intensity bout. This win was significant, as Mayweather became the first U.S boxer to defeat a Cuban in 20 years. In the semifinals, Mayweather faced Serafim Todorov of Bulgaria, who eventually won the silver medal. The fight ended in a highly controversial decision, with the referee mistakenly raising Mayweather's hand, thinking he had won, while the decision was actually given to Todorov. The U.S. team filed a protest, claiming that the judges were intimidated by Bulgaria's Emil Jetchev, the head of the boxing officials. The decision was loudly booed by the crowd at the Alexander Memorial Coliseum, and one of the judges resigned in protest. Mayweather landed several punches that were not counted, while Todorov was awarded points without landing a punch. Mayweather criticized the judging, saying that he was the real world champion, and not Todorov. Despite the protest, the decision stood, and Mayweather won a bronze medal in the featherweight Olympic qualification. He defeated William Jenkins RSC/TKO-3 and James Baker RSCH/TKO-1, but lost to Augie Sanchez PTS (11–12) before defeating Carlos Navarro PTS (31–11) and Augie Sanchez twice in the box-offs (PTS 12–8 and 20–10).

## Professional career

### Super featherweight

Floyd Mayweather began his professional boxing career on October 11, 1996, by knocking out Roberto Apodaca in Round 2, with his uncle Roger Mayweather serving as his trainer. However, his father was still in prison at the time due to his conviction for illegal drug trafficking in 1993. Mayweather Sr. eventually took over as his son's trainer after being released from prison, following Mayweather Jr.'s 14th fight, which was a second-round knockout of Sam Girard. During his early days in the ring, Mayweather quickly gained recognition as a prodigious talent and received effusive praise from the boxing community. ESPN commentator Emmanuel Steward once said, "there have been very few who have been more talented than this kid. He will probably win two or three world championships; I think he will go on to be the best ever" during Mayweather's fight against Tony Duran. Similarly, Gil Clancy, an IBHOF trainer and commentator, declared before Mayweather's ninth professional fight against Jesus Chavez, "I thought that Floyd Mayweather was the outstanding pro prospect in the entire Olympic games". From 1996 to early 1998, Mayweather earned most of his victories via knockout or TKO.

#### Mayweather vs. Hernandez

In 1998, Floyd Mayweather, just two years after entering professional boxing, won his first world title, the WBC super featherweight (130 lb) championship, in a decisive eighth-round technical knockout of Genaro Hernández, The Ring world #1-ranked super featherweight. Hernández's cornerman stopped the fight, resulting in his first defeat in that weight class. Hernández acknowledged Mayweather's skills, stating "He defeated me, he is quick, smart, and I always knew he had the speed. I give him respect. He is a true champ". With this win, Mayweather became the lineal champion of the division. Before that, Hernández had beaten Azumah Nelson, who was the dominant super featherweight and had been given the vacant lineal championship by boxing publications.

Mayweather's victory made him the first 1996 U.S. Olympian to win a world title. His promoter, Bob Arum, believed that Mayweather was the successor in a line of great boxers that started with Ray Robinson, went to Muhammad Ali, then Sugar Ray Leonard, stating that "We believe that he epitomizes that style of fighting". After winning his title, Mayweather defended it against Angel Manfredy in a second-round TKO, which gave Manfredy his first defeat in four years. By the end of 1998, Mayweather was ranked by The Ring as the #8-ranked pound-for-pound best boxer in the world. He also became one of the youngest recipients of The Ring's Fighter of the Year award, which he won at 21, the same age as Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali were when they won their first awards.

In 1999, Mayweather continued to dominate the super featherweight division by defending his title three more times. In the second defense of his title, he won a unanimous decision against Argentine Carlos Rios, fighting past the eighth round for only the third time in his career. Mayweather won on the judges' scoring 120–110, 119–108, and 120–109. In his third title defense, Mayweather won via knockout in the ninth round against Justin Juuko. Mayweather's final title defense in 1999 was against Carlos Gerena, which he won in a seventh-round referee technical decision (RTD). By the end of 1999, Mayweather was ranked The Ring's #2 pound-for-pound best boxer in the world (behind Roy Jones Jr.).

Before his fifth successful title defense against former WBC Featherweight Champion Gregorio Vargas in early 2000, Mayweather fired his father as his manager and replaced him with James Prince. The rift between father and son grew when Mayweather also fired his father as his trainer. Mayweather claimed that he had better chemistry with Roger because his father had put too much pressure on him to be perfect. Mayweather won a near-shutout over "Goyo" Vargas in Las Vegas. After a six-month layoff, Mayweather won a non-title lightweight fight against Emanuel Augustus (then known as Emanuel Burton) by a ninth-round technical knockout. Mayweather later revealed that the fight against Augustus was the toughest of his career, saying, "If I was rating certain fighters out of every guy that I fought, I'm going to rate Emanuel Augustus first compared to all the guys that I've faced."

#### Mayweather vs. Corrales

Floyd Mayweather fought Diego Corrales, the former IBF super-featherweight champion, in a fight that was one of the most definitive and memorable of his career. Both fighters were undefeated before the bout, and neither had touched the canvas. Mayweather was ranked #2 super featherweight in the world and #7 pound-for-pound, while Corrales was ranked #1 super featherweight in the world and #5 pound-for-pound. Despite both fighters being the same age, Corrales had several physical advantages over Mayweather, including two inches in height and an inch in reach.

Mayweather knocked down Corrales five times, three times in round 7 and twice in round 10, and won every round of the fight. After the fifth knockdown, Corrales' cornermen stopped the fight, establishing Mayweather as a claimant to boxing's mythical pound-for-pound title. According to CompuBox stats, Corrales was unable to land any clean shots, as he landed an average of six punches a round, the only time a fighter registered single digits in the 20 years CompuBox has been tracking punch statistics.

After the fight, Mayweather expressed his desire to fight Prince Naseem, but HBO commentator Larry Merchant intervened, saying that Prince Naseem wouldn't fight Mayweather after seeing the fight. Mayweather then expressed his interest in fighting the winner of Casamayor vs. Freitas. The fight received widespread acclaim, with the BBC calling it a "near flawless performance" and CBS reporting that Mayweather's speed was dazzling, and his power was unexpected. Mayweather's trainer, Eddie Futch, had praised Mayweather's style before the fight and correctly predicted that Mayweather would completely dismantle Corrales in a defensive masterpiece.

Mayweather retained his WBC super-featherweight title in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan, after defeating Carlos Hernández in a 12-round unanimous decision, despite sustaining injuries in both hands. Mayweather improved his record to 26-0 after the fight.

### Lightweight

#### Mayweather vs. Castillo I

Mayweather's first fight as a lightweight was against the WBC champion and The Ring's top-ranked lightweight, José Luis Castillo. Despite both boxers meeting the 135-pound limit, Mayweather weighed in at 138.5 pounds, while Castillo weighed in at 147.5 pounds. Mayweather won the fight and claimed the WBC and vacant The Ring and lineal lightweight titles with a 12-round unanimous decision at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in front of a crowd of 6,920. This victory made him the first lineal lightweight champion since Pernell Whitaker.

The judges scored the fight 115-111, 115-111, and 116-111 in favor of Mayweather. However, the pro-Castillo crowd loudly booed the decision. The Associated Press had Mayweather winning 115-111, while the New York Daily News scorecard had him winning 116-112.

In the first round, Castillo threw 27 punches but landed only three, and Mayweather made a comment about his left shoulder in the corner. In the second round, Mayweather knocked down Castillo, but it was ruled a slip by the referee. Castillo was repeatedly hitting on the break, leading to a large number of his punches landing. Drakulich took a point from him for hitting on the break in the eighth round.

Mayweather won the fight by using his jab effectively and staying away from Castillo for much of the fight, but he changed to a southpaw stance on several occasions to throw more right-handed punches due to an injury in his left shoulder.

At the end of the fight, Harold Lederman had Castillo winning 115-111, while Max Kellerman disputed Lederman's scoring, saying that Mayweather suffered from the same scoring syndrome that afflicted Pernell Whitaker. CompuBox statistics indicated that Castillo landed more overall punches and significantly more power shots, while Mayweather outscored Castillo in jabs thrown and landed. In the post-fight interview, Mayweather revealed that he hurt his rotator cuff in his left shoulder during his last training day, which affected his performance.

#### Mayweather vs. Castillo II

After their first closely contested bout, Floyd Mayweather accepted an immediate rematch with José Luis Castillo on December 7, 2002. Prior to the rematch, Mayweather made it clear that he had torn his left rotator cuff two days before the first fight and that it had prevented him from throwing a jab or left hook. Mayweather had surgery following the controversial decision over Castillo, and he claimed that his shoulder had fully recovered for the rematch.

Despite being smaller in size, Mayweather again faced a heavier Castillo on the night of the fight, with Castillo weighing in at 147 lbs and Mayweather at 138 lbs. In the rematch, Mayweather employed his footwork, combinations, and jab to secure another unanimous decision victory. There were no knockdowns or notable exchanges during the fight, but the judges' scores were close. Two scorecards had Mayweather winning 115-113, while the third had him winning 116-113. The Associated Press also had Mayweather winning 116-112, while both HBO unofficial scorer Harold Lederman and fellow analyst Larry Merchant scored it 115-113 for Mayweather.

On April 19, 2003, Mayweather defended his WBC lightweight title against Victoriano Sosa and won by unanimous decision in a tactically-sound 12-round bout against the aggressive Dominican fighter. Later that year, on November 1, Mayweather fought in his hometown of Grand Rapids against WBC #1-ranked contender Phillip N'dou, who had a record of 31-1 with 30 KOs. During the buildup to the fight, Nelson Mandela invited N'dou to his office for a pep talk before his departure for the U.S., advising him to "keep Mayweather on the outside with the jab, work the body, and the head will become available". South African president Thabo Mbeki also expressed his confidence in N'dou's ability to win and make all South Africans proud.

Despite N'dou's high-level support, Mayweather dominated the fight, connecting with a series of straight rights and lefts in the fifth round. When N'dou refused to go down, Mayweather gave a little smile and continued his barrage. Mayweather eventually floored N'dou with a series of rights in the seventh round, and the fight was stopped at 1:50 when N'dou got up on shaky legs. Throughout the fight, Mayweather displayed impressive skills and showed why he was one of the best fighters in the world at the time.