Floyd Mayweather, Jr
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is a renowned American boxer, celebrated for his unprecedented professional record of 50 wins and no losses, making him one of the greatest fighters in boxing history. Born on February 24, 1977, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, into a distinguished boxing family, he was trained by his father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., and had multiple familial influences in the sport. Mayweather's early career was marked by notable achievements, including winning the Golden Gloves Championship three times as an amateur and competing in the 1996 Olympics, where he faced a controversial semifinal loss.
Turning professional in 1996, Mayweather quickly established himself, capturing world titles across multiple weight classes, including junior-lightweight, welterweight, and light-middleweight. His battles with well-known opponents, such as Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao, drew massive audiences and set pay-per-view records, affirming his status as a premier draw in boxing. Beyond his boxing career, Mayweather has demonstrated business acumen, reportedly earning over $1 billion and maintaining control over his finances through strategic choices in promotional partnerships.
In addition to his professional bouts, Mayweather has engaged in exhibition matches, continuing to draw significant attention and revenue into the mid-2020s. His impact on the sport, both in and out of the ring, positions him as a pivotal figure in boxing history, combining athletic prowess with a savvy business approach.
Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
Boxer
- Born: February 24, 1977
- Place of Birth: Grand Rapids, Michigan
SPORT: Boxing
Early Life
Floyd Mayweather Jr. was born Floyd Joy Sinclair into an accomplished boxing family in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on February 24, 1977. His father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., was a respected former welterweight boxer. His uncle, Jeff Mayweather, was a former featherweight champion in the International Boxing Organization (IBO). A second uncle, Roger Mayweather, was a former world champion in two divisions. With the superb training available from his family, Mayweather seemed almost predestined to become an accomplished boxer.
Early Career and 1996 Olympics
Before he was twenty years old, Mayweather had proven he belonged in boxing. He won the Golden Gloves Championship three times while accumulating a record of eighty-four wins and six losses as an amateur. In 1993, 1994, and 1996, Mayweather won the Golden Gloves Championship at 103 pounds, 112 pounds, and 125 pounds, respectively. His success in these amateur tournaments was mainly because of the shoulder roll defense taught to him by his father and his uncle Roger. This defensive style allowed Mayweather to roll his body with the rhythm of his opponent’s body. This prevented his face from being cut by punches thrown by opponents. This earned him the nickname of "Pretty Boy."
Despite his Golden Gloves Championship success, Mayweather was unsuccessful at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. He won the first three rounds of the tournament easily, but his run ended in the semifinals when he suffered a controversial loss to Serafim Todorov of Bulgaria. Those who believed the decision was wrong included the US boxing team, the referee of the fight—who raised Mayweather's hand after the judges had released their decision, and many observers. This controversial loss did not hamper Mayweather's rise to greatness. Two months after the Olympics, on October 11, 1996, he won his first professional boxing match, knocking out Roberto Apodaca in the second round.
Professional Career
In 1998, Mayweather won the World Boxing Council (WBC) junior-lightweight belt by defeating Genaro Hernandez in eight rounds. This victory led Ring magazine to name Mayweather the 1998 Fighter of the Year. In 2000, the boxer fired his father because of various legal troubles and rehired his uncle Roger as his trainer. Under his uncle’s tutelage, he defeated Diego Corrales on January 20, 2001. Before the fight, both Mayweather and Corrales boasted that they had never been knocked down nor beaten in a professional fight. Mayweather dominated the match. This earned him the moniker of being the best fighter “pound-for-pound” in boxing.
Afterward, Mayweather solidified his status by constantly fighting and winning championships in higher-weight classes. In 2002, he earned the WBC and Ring belts in the lightweight division by defeating José Luis Castillo in consecutive matches. He fought only three more fights in the lightweight division and then moved to the light welterweight division in 2004. Mayweather won a championship belt by beating Arturo Gatti on June 25, 2005, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Floyd won the WBC light-welterweight belt in such a dominating fashion that Gatti’s corner had to stop the fight in the sixth round.
Continuing the Story
In 2005, Mayweather moved up weight classes to the welterweight division. He was similarly dominant as a welterweight and won the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and IBO belts by unanimous decision by defeating Zab Judah. During the fight, Judah threw unsportsmanlike punches at Mayweather; Mayweather's uncle Roger charged Judah in response. Judah and Roger each earned a one-year suspension for their actions. Mayweather relinquished the IBF title on June 20, 2006.
Mayweather wanted to challenge another renowned fighter, the "The Golden Boy" Oscar De La Hoya. On November 4, 2006, he defeated Carlos Baldomir for the WBC and Ring titles by unanimous decision and earned $8 million. In 2007, De La Hoya finally accepted Mayweather's challenge. De La Hoya placed his WBC junior-middleweight belt on the line against Mayweather, who gladly jumped up to the higher weight class and faced De La Hoya in what many claimed was the best matchup of the generation. Mayweather won the "Superfight" on May 5, 2007, by split decision. The fight set the record for pay-per-view purchases, with 2.4 million households watching. Mayweather earned more than $25 million from the fight and immediately retired, with his "Pretty Boy" nickname giving way to a new one: "Money." He stayed in retirement until he defeated Ricky Hatton on December 8, 2007. On June 6, 2008, he announced his retirement from boxing, doing so with a 39–0 record.
Mayweather's retirement was relatively short-lived. He returned to fighting in September 2009, defeating Juan Manuel Márquez in a twelve-round unanimous decision. In May 2010, he faced and defeated Shane Mosley in a much-anticipated fight, winning the lineal welterweight title. Next, he fought Victor Ortiz in 2011, earning the WBC welterweight title, and Miguel Cotto in 2012, winning the World Boxing Association (WBA) light middleweight title. He fought twice in both 2013 and 2014. In 2015, after years of negotiation, he fought Manny Pacquiao, who was considered by many to be the best fighter of his generation. This highly anticipated match between the two best pound-for-pound fighters of their day was by many accounts a disappointment. Nonetheless, Mayweather earned the victory in a twelve-round unanimous decision and won the WBO 147-pound welterweight title. In July 2015, the WBO championship committee voted to strip Mayweather of the WBO welterweight title for his failure to pay a sanctioning fee from his match with Pacquiao and to vacate the two 154-pound world titles he held.
On September 12, 2015, Mayweather faced off against Andre Berto and successfully defended his WBC, WBA (Super), the Ring, and lineal welterweight titles by unanimous decision, landing an impressive 56 percent of the punches he threw. Following that match, Mayweather announced his retirement with a record of 49–0, matching Rocky Marciano's all-time record. However, in June 2017, Mayweather announced that he planned to emerge from retirement to fight Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star Conor McGregor on August 26, 2017. In that fight, the forty-year-old Mayweather agreed to use lighter boxing gloves, compromising between the normal boxing standard and that of McGregor's UFC. Mayweather prevailed in the match, which ended in by a Total Knock Out (TKO) in the tenth round. He retired yet again afterward, having broken the professional boxing record with his fiftieth straight victory without a defeat.
Although supposedly retired, Mayweather continues to be active in the ring. Since his last bout against professional boxers, Mayweather has fought other professional athletes in a series of exhibitions, similar to his fight against McGregor in 2015. In February 2023, Mayweather fought Aaron Chalmers in London. Showing little exertion, Mayweather secured a tie, or draw, in the fight. In June 2023, an exhibition bout between Mayweather and boxer John Gotti III, grandson of legendary mafioso John Gotti, was halted in the sixth round amidst controversy. Mayweather continued to secure high-profile fights into the mid-2020s. In his career, Mayweather is reported to have career earnings of over $1 billion dollars. He is the owner of a successful nationwide chain of boxing gyms. He has released music and owned a NASCAR racing team as well. Mayweather has also been involved in copious legal disputes throughout his career.
Summary
Born into a family noted for producing great fighters, Floyd Mayweather Jr. emerged among the great, if not the greatest, boxers of his generation. His lasting achievement was an unblemished record in the ring, thus surpassing the records of notable fighters of other eras. He accomplished this by challenging and besting the greatest boxers of his own time. In addition to his boxing prowess, he was a skilled businessperson and marketer. He was noted as the highest-paid athlete in the world several times, and his fights broke television viewership records. Not only was he able to demand and obtain very lucrative paydays, but he also assumed control of his own finances. He avoided the age-old practice of being plundered by promoters and others who have left boxers penniless after their time in the ring has ended.
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