young Floyd Mayweather lucky: his father and uncle almost reached the champion title, and his uncle Roger achieved it, and in two categories - lightweight and welterweight. Therefore, the boy born February 24, 1977, from a young age the fate of a champion was destined.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been interested in boxing since childhood. Becoming a tournament winner " Golden Gloves"in 1993, 1994 and 1996 and the US Championship in 1995. He is immediately invited to the qualifying rounds, which Floyd easily passes and ends up as part of the 1996 US Olympic reserve. At the Olympics, a young boxer comes very close to the gold medal, but according to the judges’ (controversial) decision, the title is given to the Bulgarian Seraphim Todorov.
The unfair referee's decision did not in any way affect Floyd's professional level. To become a champion, to be ranked among the elite and to show an interesting fight in the ring with an unpredictable and unpredictable ending - this becomes the goal for Floyd Mayweather Jr. Having won several fights with amateur boxing champions, Handsome decides to fight with professional champions Genaro Hernandez and Angel Manfredi. The fights took place in 1998 and ended with technical knockouts of professionals. After these victories, Handsome receives the title of the best boxer in the United States. In 2001, Floyd knocked down the world champion Diego Corrales, in 2005 he defeated champion Arturo Gatti and moved to the welterweight category.
2007 was a turning point for Mayweather - he decides to leave boxing, but before that he gives two fights: one against the world champion in 1st middleweight Oscar De La Hoya, second against an undefeated boxer Ricky Hatton. These were very strong opponents, which turned out to be not so easy to defeat, but Handsome’s universal style, with the help of which he manages to quickly change tactics and behavior in the ring, mislead the enemy, box from different distances, make exchanges, helped him out and this time. Floyd left boxing as a champion in the 5th weight category.
Floyd spends his holidays: bowling, going to the cinema, dancing .
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Floyd Mayweather Jr., born Floyd Sinclair. Born February 24, 1977 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. Undefeated American professional boxer who competed in the welterweight category.
The best boxer, regardless of weight category, according to Ring magazine in the period 2005-2007 and 2013-2015.
Winner of the titles Boxer of the Year 1998 and 2007, Comeback of the Year - 2009 according to The Ring magazine. BWAA Boxer of the Year 2007, 2013 and 2015.
The highest paid boxer in the history of professional boxing.
Bronze medalist at the 1996 Olympic Games.
World champion in the 2nd featherweight category according to the WBC in 1998-2001.
World champion in the lightweight category according to the WBC in 2002-2003.
World champion in the 1st welterweight category according to the WBC in 2005.
IBF world champion in the welterweight category in 2006; IBO 2006 version; WBC versions 2006, 2007 and since 2011; WBA versions since 2014; WBO versions since 2015.
World champion in the 1st middle category according to the WBC 2007 and since 2013; WBA since 2012.
In September 2015, after defeating Andre Berto, Mayweather announced his retirement. He left the professional ring undefeated, having 49 victories in 49 fights (26 of them by knockout), repeating the record of the famous Rocky Marciano.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. Best moments
Floyd Mayweather Jr. was born in the American city of Grand Rapids, Michigan in the family of a boxer.
Father - Floyd Mayweather Sr., a former welterweight, met with the famous Sugar Ray Leonard.
Uncles Jeff Mayweather and Roger Mayweather were professional boxers. Roger won two world championships and later became Floyd's coach.
Mayweather's aunt died of AIDS while a drug addict.
Mayweather bore his mother's surname from birth, but later changed it to a more well-known one in boxing - his father's.
From an early age, boxing was an integral part of Mayweather's life; he never considered any other activity.
My father used and sold drugs and eventually went to prison. Mayweather Sr. said: “Even if I used drugs, I did not deprive my son of parental attention. I sold drugs, but brought income to the family. He had the best clothes and I gave him money.”
Boxing became an outlet for Mayweather, a way to cope with the absence of his father. While Mayweather Sr. was serving time in prison, his son - with speed and an uncanny sense of the ring - poured himself into boxing after dropping out of school.
"I knew what I was going to learn to try to take care of my mom, and I decided that school wasn't as important to me at the time, I was going to learn to box for a living," Mayweather said.
“I think my grandmother was the first to see my potential,” the athlete recalled. "When I was young, I told her, 'I think I should get a job.' She said, 'No, just box.'"
He started with amateur boxing, in which he had 90 fights. His record was 84-6. Won the National Golden Gloves Championship trophy in 1993 (106 pounds), 1994 (114 pounds) and 1996 (125 pounds). He was nicknamed “Pretty Boy” because, due to his defensive tactics, he received almost no damage during fights.
Participated in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, won a bronze medal: in the 1/16 finals he defeated Bakhtiyar Tolegenov (Kazakhstan), in the 1/8 finals he defeated Artur Gevorkyan (Armenia), in the quarterfinals he defeated Lorenzo Aragon (Cuba), in the semifinals he lost to Seraphim Todorov (Bulgaria).
Since the fall of 1996, he began performing in the professional ring.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. - Lightweight
Mayweather made his debut in the professional ring on October 11, 1996. Floyd knocked out the Mexican, a fellow debutant in the professional ring, Roberto Apodaca, in the second round.
He fought with high frequency, and before the first title fight he had 17 rating fights, most of which he won by knockout.
On October 3, 1998, in just his 18th professional bout, Floyd defeated WBC junior lightweight champion Genaro "Chicanito" Hernandez and immediately achieved boxing superstar status. After the fight, the dethroned champion, considered one of the best pound-for-pound boxers, said of Floyd: “I didn’t think I’d lose like that. He is incredibly fast and technical." Mayweather promoter Bob Arum: “Floyd is the successor to Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Sugar Ray Leonard. He is an extraordinary boxer."
In December 1998, Mayweather met with Angelo Manfredi. At the end of the 2nd round, he drove his opponent into a corner and began to beat him. A significant part of the blows missed the target, but the referee decided to stop the fight. The stop was controversial. A few weeks later, Mayweather was named the best boxer of 1998 by Ring and Knockout magazines.
In February 1999, Mayweather successfully defeated Carlos Alberto Ramon Rios.
In May 1999, Mayweather met with Ugandan Justin Juko. In the 9th round, Mayweather sent Dzhuko to the canvas with a right cross to the jaw. Dzhuko rose to the count of 10, but it was too late and the referee stopped the fight.
Mayweather defeated Carlos Herena in September 1999 and Gregorio Vargas in March 2000.
In October 2000, Mayweather entered the ring against passing opponent Emanuel Burton. Mayweather dominated the entire fight. In the 9th round, he beat his opponent - almost all of his blows hit the target. Seeing this, Burton's corner threw in the towel (Burton later changed his last name to Augustus).
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs. Diego Corrales:
In January 2001, Mayweather entered the ring against the unbeaten and very strong Diego Corrales.
During the fight, Mayweather knocked down his opponent 5 times. In the 10th round, after the 5th knockdown, Corrales' corner threw in the towel.
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs. Carlos Hernandez:
In May 2001, Mayweather faced Carlos Hernandez. Mayweather dominated the entire fight. At the end of the 6th round, Mayweather, having hit Hernandez with a right hook to the head, winced in pain, bent down and stopped resisting. Hernandez hit him with a left hook. The referee interrupted the fight and counted the knockdown to the champion. In the middle of the 12th round, Hernandez rushed at Mayweather and tried to push him through the ropes. For this, the referee deducted a point from him. At the end of 12 rounds, the judges unanimously awarded Mayweather the victory.
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs. Jesus Chavez:
In November 2001, he met with Mexican Jesus Chavez. In the 9th round, Chavez missed several clean shots. Between the 9th and 10th rounds, Chavez's corner stopped the fight.
After this fight, Mayweather moved up to lightweight.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. - Lightweight
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs. Jose Luis Castillo:
In April 2002, he entered the ring against WBC lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo. Castillo surpassed Mayweather in speed. However, all three judges scored in Mayweather's favor. Unofficial HBO judge Harold Lederman thought Castillo had won. During the entire fight, Castillo received 203 punches, and Floyd 157. Many believed that Castillo won that fight, and Floyd gave an immediate rematch.
In December 2002, in a rematch, Mayweather convincingly defeated Castillo.
In 2003, Mayweather entered the ring against Victoriano Sosa. At the end of 12 rounds, the judges gave Mayweather victory with a crushing score. Not everyone agreed with the judges' assessments.
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs. Phillipe Ndo:
In November 2003, Mayweather entered the ring against Phillip Ndo. In the 7th round, Mayweather landed 3 straight right crosses to Ndo's head. Ndo fell. Mayweather landed a 4th right cross on his fallen opponent. The referee immediately sent him off. Ndo rose to the count of 9, but did not want to continue the fight. The referee stopped the fight.
After this fight, Mayweather moved up to 1st welterweight.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. - Second Lightweight
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. DeMarcus Corley:
In May 2004, Mayweather faced DeMarcus Corley. In the 8th round, Mayweather launched a protracted attack and Corley, to get away from it, dropped to his knee. The referee counted the knockdown. At the beginning of the 10th round, Mayweather carried out a successful attack on the head with both hands. Corley fell to his knees. The referee counted the 2nd knockdown. Mayweather confidently dominated the fight and won with a crushing score.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Henry Brussels:
In January 2005, Mayweather entered the ring against Puerto Rican Henry Brussels. The fight was again a qualifying match for the WBC 1st welterweight title. In the first 3 rounds, Floyd showered his opponent with blows, and then changed tactics.
He moved the fight to the center of the ring and began methodically trying to knock down his opponent. At the end of the 8th round, Mayweather landed two hooks to the body, and Brussels dropped to his knee, but immediately got up. The referee counted the knockdown. After the fight resumed, Mayweather carried out several series of headshots. He then pinned his opponent against the ropes and delivered another series of hooks to the head from both hands, after which Brussels fell to his knees. Brussels was able to get to his feet. The referee counted the knockdown and allowed the fight to continue. At the same time, the Puerto Rican’s coach approached the ring and, despite the fact that there were 5 seconds left before the end of the round, said that he recommended stopping the fight. The referee stopped the fight.
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Arturo Gatti:
In June 2005, Mayweather entered the ring against WBC world welterweight champion Arturo Gatti. At the end of the 1st round, Mayweather, with a dirty violation of the rules, pressed Gatti down with his elbow, after which Gatti stopped due to the referee's incomprehensible behavior and Mayweather, taking advantage of the situation, knocked down Gatti. Gatti easily stood up and was outraged by Mayweather's behavior and the referee's inaction; the referee did not react at all. Mayweather had a huge advantage in all other rounds; after the 6th round, Gatti's corner refused to continue the fight.
Mayweather then moved up to welterweight.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. - Welterweight
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Sharmba Mitchell:
In November 2005, Mayweather moved up to welterweight and faced former world welterweight champion Sharmba Mitchell in a ranking bout. After dominating the first 2 rounds, in the 3rd Floyd knocked Mitchell down with a right cross. Mitchell was not shocked and stood at the count of 4. Mayweather did not finish off his opponent.
Further, Mayweather’s advantage was beyond doubt and in the 6th round, Floyd sent Sharmba to the floor with a right to the body for the second time in the fight. The referee counted to 9. Mitchell stood at the count of 10, but it was too late, the referee stopped the fight when Sharmba, still leaning on the ropes, was writhing in pain. Mitchell tried to prove that the blow was struck below the belt, but numerous replays showed the opposite.
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Zab Judah:
In April 2006, a fight between two technicians took place: Floyd Mayweather and IBF world welterweight champion Zab Judah. The vacant IBO title was also at stake.
In the first 4 rounds, Judah had an advantage, but starting from the 5th, Mayweather aligned himself with his left-handed opponent. Floyd gradually gained an advantage, which resulted in his opponent’s broken nose in the 7th round. In the 10th round, Judah struck below the belt and then to the back of the head of Mayweather, who was bent over in pain. At the sight of this, Floyd's uncle and trainer Roger Mayweather ran into the ring, throwing himself at the referee. People from Judah's corner also ran into the ring, and a brawl ensued. Soon everyone who was standing next to the ring or simply passing by followed their example. Judah himself also dealt a couple of blows to someone along the way. The police managed to clear the ring. For trespassing into the ring, Roger Mayweather, as the last one, is removed from the hall. The fight continued. In the remaining 2 rounds, Mayweather brings the meeting to its logical conclusion. At the end of the 12th round, he lowers his hands and mentoringly shows Judah his chin.
At the end of the fight, Floyd was awarded the victory by unanimous decision. After the fight, Mayweather said that at the beginning of the fight he injured his right hand, which prevented him from winning ahead of schedule.
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs. Carlos Baldomir:
In November 2006, Mayweather faced WBC welterweight title holder Carlos Baldomir. Baldomir unsuccessfully tried to neutralize Mayweather with constant pressure and a large number of thrown punches, but Floyd's speed was much higher. The fight lasted all 12 rounds with Mayweather having a total advantage. At the end of the fight, all the judges unanimously gave the victory to Mayweather. After the fight, Floyd admitted that during the fight he injured his right hand.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. - Junior Middleweight
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Oscar De La Hoya:
In May 2007, Mayweather came out against the famous and very strong WBC world champion in the 1st middleweight, Oscar De La Hoya. Mayweather was the favorite in this fight.
The aging Oscar was given little chance of winning. Unexpectedly for everyone, De La Hoya looked very good, throwing multi-punch combinations and hitting the American more than once. Unlike most of Mayweather's opponents, Oscar did not fail. Mayweather himself rushed to attack in the 2nd half of the fight. After the 9th round, Oscar's stamina waned, although Mayweather was also noticeably tired; the 10th and 11th rounds were very close, but Floyd looked a little better. At the end of the 12th round, Oscar threw a series of blows to the head, Mayweather did not defend himself and entered the open wheelhouse, missing a couple of blows.
Mayweather became the champion in the 5th weight category, although many experts noted that Mayweather had never missed so many punches in his entire career.
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Ricky Hatton:
In December 2007, a fight between two undefeated boxers took place - American Floyd Mayweather and Briton Ricky Hatton.
The first rounds took place in an equal fight. Hatton started the fight aggressively and, in his typical style, tried to work at close range. However, Mayweather's speed allowed the American to successfully act ahead. In the 3rd round, Hatton suffered a cut above his right eye. In the 4th round, Mayweather managed to land several accurate blows that shocked the Briton. In the 6th round, the referee deducted one point from Hatton for a blow to the back of the head. From the middle of the fight Mayweather began to dominate. In the 8th round, Mayweather outboxed his opponent in all respects, clearly demonstrating how to act against the Briton’s tactics.
Towards the middle of the 10th round, Mayweather went into the corner. Hutton was coming at him. Mayweather hit him in the jaw with a precise counter left hook. Hatton butted the counter and fell on his back. He managed to get up to the count of 8. Mayweather wanted to build on his success, but Hatton began to clinch. The referee separated them. Mayweather landed two left hooks in a row to Hatton’s jaw, the Briton leaned on the ropes, and Floyd began to finish him off. The referee stopped the American's attack. At this time, Hatton fell on his back again, and the referee stopped the fight. At the same time, a white towel flew out from the Briton’s corner. Until the fight was stopped, Mayweather was leading on the scores of all three judges by a large margin: 89-81 (twice) and 88-82.
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Juan Manuel Marquez:
In September 2009, after a two-year break, Mayweather returned to boxing. His first opponent after his return was the Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez. The fight took place in the intermediate weight category and was the title fight.
Mayweather, who looked much bigger and faster than Marquez in the fight, was able to send his opponent to the floor with a left hook already in the 2nd round and prevailed in almost every episode of each round. Marquez tried to attack, but Mayweather was proactive and constantly counterattacked the Mexican. At the end of the fourth round, Floyd cut Juan Manuel. During the fight, Mayweather constantly boasted and teased the Mexican. At the end of the fight, all the judges awarded the victory to Mayweather with a crushing score.
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs. Shane Mosley:
In May 2010, Mayweather met with the stellar and very strong WBA welterweight “super title” holder Shane Mosley. The fight was non-title.
In the second three-minute period there was a real sensation: Mosley landed a right hand and greatly shook Mayweather, who immediately began to tie up his opponent. A few seconds later, an even more powerful right hand from Shane buckled Floyd's legs. Mosley tried to finish, but was not very effective and constantly fell into the arms of Mayweather. Floyd “survived” extremely skillfully, which is why he lasted until the gong. During the break, Mayweather completely recovered from the shock. Starting from the next round, Floyd adapted to his opponent’s style, went forward and seized the initiative.
In the second half of the 12th round, Mosley made a “last resort spurt” in an attempt to knock out his opponent. But Mayweather managed not only to avoid the desperate blows of his counterpart, but also to win the final three minutes, although not with such a devastating advantage as the previous 9 rounds. All three judges scored it big for Floyd Mayweather: 119-109 (twice) and 118-110.
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Victor Ortiz:
In September 2011, Mayweather, after a break of almost a year and a half, met with WBC welterweight title holder Victor Ortiz. The slow start of the fight gradually developed into complete dominance by Floyd, who traditionally avoided his opponent’s blows efficiently and, in turn, quickly and timely filled the gaps in Ortiz’s defense with accurate hits. Ortiz's attacking attacks, when Mayweather found himself at the ropes, did not lead to anything productive for Victor, while Floyd constantly achieved success.
In the 4th round, one of Ortiz’s spurts ended with his own deliberate headbutt. After a short stoppage of the fight, during which the referee deducted a point from the offender, Victor wanted to hug Mayweather, apologizing. But Floyd landed a double left-right to Ortiz’s head. The fight ended in a knockout in favor of Floyd Mayweather.
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Miguel Cotto:
In May 2012, Mayweather entered the ring against the star Puerto Rican and current WBA world “super champion” in 1st middleweight Miguel Cotto. The vacant WBC Diamond belt was also on the line.
Thanks to the efforts of the champion, most of the fight turned out to be equal. In the initial rounds, Mayweather acted in his usual manner, deliberately giving the center of the ring to his opponent and focusing on counterattacks. Due to his advantage in speed and excellent timing, the American managed to avoid his opponent’s blows and deliver sharp, painful blows himself.
In the 5th round, Mayweather had to withstand the most severe pressure from the Puerto Rican. For almost the entire round, Cotto kept his opponent locked in the corner of the ring and bombed around the area. And only at the end of the round Floyd managed to break away from his opponent. Miguel continued to put pressure on his opponent, moving the fight to medium and close range, where due to his greater activity he delighted the public. However, as soon as the distance increased, Cotto began to miss long and biting blows.
Rounds from the 8th to the 11th inclusive were held in a spectacular confrontation of styles: Cotto, constantly moving forward, defending himself quite well, ran into Floyd, who decided to “stand his ground,” and who was patiently looking for holes in his counterpart’s defense.
Mayweather took the final round quite easily: Cotto, who had shown good functional training, lost his attention for a moment and was hit in the head by a powerful combination that seriously shocked Miguel, but he managed to stay on his feet. Following 12 rounds, the judges unanimously gave the victory to Floyd Mayweather.
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Robert Guerrero:
Mayweather returned to the ring on May 4, 2013. His opponent was interim WBC welterweight champion Robert Guerrero. This was Mayweather's first fight since leaving prison and his first on Showtime. Before this, Mayweather spent all his fights on HBO. Mayweather's minimum fee for this fight was $32 million, Guerrero received $3 million.
Despite the fact that Mayweather had not entered the ring for a year, he was in excellent shape and easily defeated Guerrero. Guerrero tried to lock Mayweather against the ropes throughout the fight, but Floyd easily avoided Guerrero’s attacks and regularly shot him with right crosses. Guerrero was never able to break through "Pretty Boy's" defense. After twelve rounds, all three judges gave the victory to Mayweather with a score of 117-111.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Saul Alvarez:
On September 14, 2013, Floyd Mayweather faced junior middleweight champion Saul Alvarez. The fight became the highest-grossing fight in boxing history at that time, and collected a total box office of more than $150 million.
Saul was unable to oppose the experienced American, and Floyd Mayweather outboxed Alvarez with a great advantage, having the advantage in almost all rounds. Despite Floyd’s total dominance, the judge’s decision was still not so clear-cut; two judges gave preference to Mayweather, and one of the judges gave a draw. Alvarez suffered his first defeat in the professional ring.
The fight was called “The One” and had a four-month PR campaign, during which its participants visited many cities in the United States and Mexico. The fight was extremely popular. The event was attended by many business and showbiz celebrities, including Jack Nicholson, Bar Refaeli and P. Diddy. Floyd Mayweather performed to the performance of the famous American rapper Lil Wayne, and the singer was present in the ring during the award ceremony.
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Marcos Maidana:
On May 3, 2014, Floyd Mayweather met with Argentine WBA champion Marcos Maidana. The first half of the fight turned out to be competitive. Maidana was often able to pin Mayweather against the ropes and land hard punches. However, after the 8th round, Maidana began to show signs of fatigue, and Mayweather took control of the fight. One of the judges considered the fight to be equal, but the other two gave the victory to Mayweather. Judges' scores: 117-111, 116-112, 114-114.
Maidana, in a post-fight interview, expressed confidence that he won the fight. In the statistics of blows according to the CompuBox system, in the fight with Marcos Maidana, Floyd Mayweather missed the largest number of punches in his career - 221. Floyd himself landed 9 more accurate punches - 230. But in terms of thrown punches, the advantage was on Maidana's side - 858 against 426 for Mayweather. More precisely, in his actions, Floyd was accordingly.
On September 13, 2014, a rematch took place between Marcos Maidana and Floyd Mayweather. Mayweather led throughout the entire fight. Maidana constantly tried to pin Floyd against the ropes, but Floyd moved a lot and easily escaped pursuit. After the 8th round, Mayweather became more confident, allowed himself to lower his hands and hit at will. At the end of 12 rounds, Floyd Mayweather was declared the winner by unanimous decision. Maidana did not argue with the judges' decision.
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Manny Pacquiao:
On May 2, 2015, the most anticipated fight of our time took place in Las Vegas between American Floyd Mayweather and Filipino Manny Pacquiao. Even before the start of the fight, it was called the fight of the century, but, as often happens, in a fight between two first-class masters who do not allow each other to show the best that they demonstrate in fights with other opponents, the fight turned out not to be spectacular, but rather resembled a high-speed " chess game."
The first 2 rounds were spent in reconnaissance, in which Mayweather was more precise in his actions. However, starting from the 3rd round, Pacquiao managed to seize the initiative and already in the 4th Filipino carried out a good counterattack that shook Mayweather, forcing him to close in a block near the ropes, but Manny was unable to build on Manny’s success. Overall, the fight turned out to be quite competitive and close, with Mayweather's advantage not so large, but sufficient for victory. Most fans and boxing fans were disappointed by the fight.
At the post-fight and subsequent press conferences, Pacquiao stated that 3 weeks before the fight he suffered a rupture of one of the ligaments in his right shoulder joint.
This the fight became the most profitable in boxing history. Mayweather received $280 million, and Pacquiao $150 million, excluding television sales. The total income from the fight was more than half a billion dollars.
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Manny Pacquiao
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs. Andre Berto:
On September 12, 2015 it took place. Before the fight, many predicted an easy victory for Mayweather, not giving Berto any chance. And so it happened: Mayweather seized the advantage from the very beginning and did not lose it until the final bell. In the 12th round, after a successful attack, Floyd was able to shake Berto, but failed to finish him off. Judges' scores: 120:108, 118:110, 117:111.
After the fight, Mayweather announced his retirement, leaving the ring undefeated, having 49 fights and 49 victories to his name.
"Fight of the Century" Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor:
In early March 2017, Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced that he was returning to the ring for a fight with the owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) belt, an Irish mixed-style fighter. "I'm coming off vacation to fight McGregor. And I don't want to hear any more excuses from Conor about money or his deal with the UFC," Mayweather Jr. said.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. surprised everyone when he became a multimillionaire. This is not what was expected from a master of defense who does not turn fights into shows. But he attracts attention on social networks, shocks with his personal life and turns his sports career into a marketing project. Neither a prison sentence for domestic violence nor controversial fighting tactics harmed his popularity. He retired from boxing undefeated, which delighted fans. And now he irritates his ill-wishers with a luxurious lifestyle and caustic remarks about defeated opponents in numerous interviews.
Early years
Floyd Mayweather Jr. became the heir to a dynasty of world boxing champions. He was born into a dysfunctional family on February 24, 1977. The grandmother believed in the future of her grandson and supported him when he decided to make a living only by boxing.
The boy's parents lived separately, and Floyd bore his mother's surname. When the question of a boxing career arose, he took the popular boxing surname Mayweather. Mother Deborah Sinclair took drugs. Floyd said in an interview that she stole Christmas gifts for him from supermarkets. The son considers such actions to be a manifestation of love for him and calls Deborah the only woman in his life who is truly dear to him.
My father was considered a promising athlete, a finalist in the 1977 World Boxing Championship. But he became a drug addict and even went to prison for selling illegal drugs. Because of this prison term, the boy’s first coach was not his father, but his brother, Uncle Roger, who twice became the world boxing champion in 1983 and 1988. Floyd's father trained him later. He came up with a win-win defensive battle tactic for his son.
First steps in boxing
When he had to quit his studies due to lack of money in 1993, the teenager devoted himself to boxing. In 1996, he won the main prize for semi-professional boxers - the Golden Gloves. At the same time, he set his first record - out of 90 fights he won 84. The defensive tactics developed by his father helped the young boxer dodge enemy blows to the face. For this he received the nickname Handsome.
Floyd made his international debut at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, where he won bronze.
School love, first engagement
Josie Harris was 3 years younger than him. They started dating while still in school and were together from 1993 to 2007. Josie quickly learned that Floyd tended to suppress and control women. Later he started beating her. Although he publicly condemned those celebrities who were seen in domestic violence.
They had three children: two boys and a girl. In 2005, they announced their engagement, but Josie, exhausted by cruel treatment and betrayal, never decided on marriage.
Three years after the breakup, Floyd learned that Josie had started dating someone else. For this, he beat his ex-girlfriend in front of his children, for which he went to prison in 2012 for 90 days.
Josie has written a book about her "dangerous" relationship with the boxing great. She said that Mayweather believes that he owns women as property. The common-law husband decided what she should wear and with whom to communicate, punished her for disobedience, and bought gifts for beatings.
Second love, second ring
He dated Melissa Brim from 1998 to 2012. The eldest son with Josie and daughter with Melissa were born in 2000. This relationship also involved abuse and violence, lawsuits and punishment.
Melissa's daughter practices boxing under the supervision of her father. Floyd loves all his children and spoils them with gifts.
However, for the second time Floyd decided to marry not Melissa, but another lover - Chantel Jackson. They lived together since 2006. The boxer convinced her to move to Las Vegas with him and planned a wedding. But due to infidelity and abuse, Chantelle abandoned her marriage to Floyd Mayweather.
Who is he with now?
In July 2017, Floyd began dating reality show participant Abi Clarke. The girl is 15 years younger than him and is famous for having had a lot of plastic surgery. Abi was struck by the boxer's generosity and sense of humor.
Both love publicity and showing off their lives on social media. Mayweather has already introduced Abi to his family. Perhaps she can bring Floyd to the altar.
Major victories in sports
The athlete had his first professional fight with Roberto Apodaca in 1996. Floyd Mayweather, with a height of 1.73 meters, then weighed 60 kilograms. Subsequently, the boxer constantly changed weight categories, winning championship titles in five of them.
The boxing style is not spectacular, but effective, allowing him to defeat titled and experienced opponents. This brought quick fame and a lot of money.
At 21, he fought Genaro Hernandez. Floyd Mayweather did not count on victory and became world champion for the first time. Then he was named “rookie of the year.” He repeated his success in 2002 and every year from 2005 to 2007.
Before the fight with Oscar de la Hoya, Mayweather took seriously his own image. He chose a new nickname for himself, began to call himself Floyd Money Mayweather and announced that he was changing his fighting style to a more daring and inconvenient one for the enemy. who was no longer bet on, was one step away from victory, which made this fight legendary.
Floyd Mayweather considers the best victories to be those for which he received more money.
In September 2013, a fight took place with Saul Alvarez for three boxing titles. The fight was advertised for 4 months, it had record fees and brought 36-year-old Floyd $75 million.
In 2014 he won on points against Marcos Maidana, in 2015 he won and
On August 26, 2017, Mayweather fought Conor McGregor. The organizers positioned this fight as the “battle of the century.” His opponent is a master of self-promotion, just like Floyd Mayweather. Both gave scandalous interviews, which fueled interest in the fight.
For his victory over McGregor, the champion received $285 million and took first place in the Forbes list of the 100 richest athletes of 2017. After this fight, Mayweather announced his retirement from sports in order to go undefeated.
The legendary boxer has earned about a billion dollars in 24 years in boxing and says of himself: “I deserve to be cocky and arrogant.” He likes to be popular and controversial when he can make money from it.
Justin Bieber's personal trainer
The friendship between Justin Bieber and Floyd Mayweather caused a stir for 5 years and ended scandalously in 2017. The media is still arguing whether it was friendship or business cooperation.
Mayweather's daughter was in love with Bieber. Her father found a way to meet and make friends with the famous singer so that she could get into Justin's circle and communicate with him. Since then, the singer has attended most of Mayweather's fights and accompanied him to the ring. Often during this period, on his Instagram page, Floyd Mayweather is photographed with Bieber. In 2014, the boxer volunteered to train the singer to make his image more brutal, and they started talking about them again.
After 5 years, interest in this friendship faded. Church representatives believed that Bieber should not communicate with Mayweather, who visits strip clubs and leads the singer astray from the righteous path. Before the fight with McGregor, the former friends exchanged provocative remarks addressed to each other on the social network and for the last time jointly drew attention to their persons.
Participation in TV shows
Mayweather never stopped spreading his name. In 2007, he participated in the American show “Dancing with the Stars”, his partner was Karina Smirnoff. The couple took 9th place.
The famous boxer is a frequent guest on talk shows. People are interested in his opinion about promising boxers and his predictions for the results of their fights.
In 2008, he recorded a rap song called “Yes,” which he later used to enter the ring.
Popularity in Russia
Russian boxing fans are very familiar with Mayweather. He flew to Moscow more than once and was even going to open the Floyd Mayweather Boxing Academy. The boxer promised to obtain Russian citizenship in order to start a business in Russia. On his next visit, he gave interviews, conducted boxing master classes and took part in the “Evening Urgant” show.
What does he do after leaving boxing?
Mayweather is willing to talk about his frequently changing plans. He makes money as tirelessly as he fought in the ring. The media writes about him every day, because readers are interested in his lifestyle and luxury purchases, which he immediately announces on his Instagram page.
The boxing legend seems to only care about having fun and is no longer the Floyd Mayweather who inspired aspiring boxers around the world. But that's not true.
He became the winner because:
- believed in himself and his purpose in life;
- improved and rose to a new level each time;
- always worked at full capacity.
No matter how many fights Floyd Mayweather had, he followed these rules and does not forget about them when conducting business. This is a talented businessman who bet on himself and won. His business acumen helped him become the richest and most successful boxer in the history of the sport.
Roger Mayweather was born in 1961, on April 24th. His name became famous thanks to his great achievements in professional boxing. We will talk about the most interesting facts of Roger’s biography in our article.
Boxer's childhood
The future boxer was born in the city of Grand Rapids in the northern United States. Roger is one of the three Mayweather brothers, who are also well known for their achievements in the field of professional boxing. It should be noted that only the middle brother, Roger, achieved the most significant success. The rest could not reach the main goal - to become world champions.
As Roger himself said, the desire to win was present in him from early childhood. The future fighter never missed the opportunity to take part in a fight with his peers. He put on the real Roger Mayweather at the age of 8. Since then, this sports attribute has always been with him.
First successes in boxing
Already at the age of 20, Roger embarked on the path of professional boxing. The young athlete’s first and successful debut took place in 1981, when he knocked out Puerto Rican Andrew Ruiz in the ring. For Roger, this fight was one of the easiest, because not even one round had passed before the opponent found himself on the ring platform.
First championship belt
After his 13th professional fight, Roger Mayweather, whose photo you can see in our article, won the USBA lightweight championship title. After this, the boxer had two more fights. At the last one, he knocked out Puerto Rican Samuel Serrano. Thanks to this fight, Roger won the WBA lightweight championship belt.
It should be said that Serrano had a good track record behind him - 15 victories in championship fights. But, unfortunately, he turned out to be powerless in front of Mayweather, an aspiring pro.
Roger spent the next few fights also successfully. Panamanian Jorge Alvrado and Chilean Benedicto Villablanco did not have the strength to fight Mayweather's blows.
First defeat
Mayweather's third defense of the championship ended in defeat. Nobody expected such an outcome of the battle. Roger's rival was his compatriot Rocky Lockridge. It should be noted that the bookmakers did not predict victory for the latter - the bets were 1:4.
The fight ended in the first round when Roger was hit by a surprise right hand. Mayweather had to be carried out of the ring.
Disease
Only later did it become known that Roger Mayweather was ill. Unfortunately, the disease (this is the pseudonym Mayweather took for himself in the ring) is known to many fighters firsthand. The fact is that a boxer has a weak jaw. Roger Mayweather, whose illness prevented him from successfully finishing many fights, then announced his main drawback to the whole world. It is worth saying that Mayweather was not distinguished by his athletic physique. His body is quite thin, and his legs are long and thin. Mayweather's illness and physique forced the coach to develop a different fighting tactic, which was based on working as number two from a distance.
By the way, his nephew Floyd Mayweather, the son of his older brother, brought some of Roger’s fighting manners to life. It should be noted that Floyd is much faster than his famous ancestor. The fact is that Roger in his work lacked the speed, reflexes and aggressiveness that are inherent in Floyd Jr. In general, Mayweather's average nephew took all the best from his relatives and moved away from them (professionally) much further.
The history of Roger's nickname
We should talk separately about the nickname of the famous boxer. As Roger said in an interview, on the eve of the next fight he watched a documentary about snakes. He focused his attention on the black mamba, which had lightning speed and was very aggressive.
After some thought, he decided to take the name for himself, as he found many internal similarities to this “interesting special wildlife.”
A fall
After losing to Rocky Lockridge, Roger Mayweather, whose biography is full of interesting facts, decided to go down to lightweight. But even there a familiar… failure awaited him. In the next battle, he lost miserably to Tony Balthazar.
The following fights ended on the same note. In the ring, he was knocked out thanks to a powerful blow from world champion Freddie Pendleton.
We should also talk about the fight for the WBC world title, in which Roger Mayweather also failed. Chavez Julio Cesar was the name of the next rival of the Black Mamba. Unfortunately, already in the second round of the fight, Roger was destroyed in every sense of the word.
New takeoff
Mayweather spent all subsequent fights losing to his opponents. This difficult period lasted until 1987. Then he knocked out Mexican Rene Arredondo. After this, Mayweather finished 4 more fights with success, until the same Chavez met on his way again.
In 1989, already in the 10th round, Roger had to voluntarily end the fight, because the boxer could not withstand Chavez’s signature blows.
After that, he was no longer able to take away the champion belt. In 1991, he lost to Colombian Rafael Pineda, and in 1995 he was defeated by Russian Kostya Ju, who, by the way, was just gaining momentum at that time. It seemed that in this fight he was not going to fight, but was constantly trying to defend himself from the powerful blows of the young professional.
Calm
After that, Roger began to enter the ring less often - once a year. Twice he won victories over little-known and unremarkable boxers.
After his latest success in a fight with Mexican Mendez, Roger Mayweather decided to get serious about coaching. The young and promising Floyd Mayweather Jr. came under his sights. By that time, the guy already had a good track record behind him. Roger was lucky - he began to train the already established world champion in the lightweight division.
It should be noted that Floyd’s first mentor was his father. In 2000, a huge scandal occurred between his son and father. As the young fighter said, he was tired of his father’s eternal mistakes.
At that time, Mayweather Sr. was actively involved in the transportation and sale of narcotic substances, for which he was sent to prison more than once. After another trip to places not so remote, Floyd Jr. showed his father the door, taking away expensive gifts from the old man.
By the way, the average Mayweather also disliked his brother. Their tense relationship lasts from early childhood. As the former boxer says, the person closest to him is his younger brother (who trains the Russian fighter
From that moment on, Roger took the helm of coaching. True, not everything went so smoothly here either. During one of his ward’s fights, because of another prank, the Nevada Athletic Commission banned the trainer from being in the corner of the ring and fined the rowdy $200,000. In addition, an investigation is still underway into Roger’s beating of his ward Melissa St. Vil, whom he was nearly strangled during an argument in a hotel room. It is still unclear why the girl displeased him so much. But Mayweather did not come out of this situation unscathed. The girl turned out to be a tough nut to crack and broke her coach's head with a glass lamp.
It is not yet known what punishment Roger will suffer for this, because he was once convicted in a domestic violence case.
On October 3, 1998, in just his eighteenth professional fight, Floyd dethroned longtime WBC junior lightweight champion Genaro "Chicanito" Hernandez and not only won the title, but became an instant star. After this fight, the defeated champion, considered one of the best boxers in all weight classes, praised the young boxer, saying: “I never thought I would be beaten like this. He's too fast and good for me. He proved that he is the best." Mayweather's promoter Bob Arum not only agreed with Hernandez, but also compared his fighter to other prominent champions: “Floyd is the successor to Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard. He is an outstanding boxer."
Floyd Mayweather Jr. born. February 24, 1977 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. From birth, his fate was determined - he would become a boxer. “Already in the cradle I tried to box. Then, as I grew older, I started practicing punches on various objects, such as door handles. I first put on gloves when I was seven or eight years old,” said the boxer nicknamed “Pretty Boy.”
During his amateur career, Mayweather had a record of 84 wins and 6 losses as a featherweight. He won the Golden Gloves in 1993, 1994 and 1996. In 1995 he won the National Police Championship and the US Championship. It was during this period that Mayweather received the nickname "Pretty Boy". “I got it not because of my appearance, but because I never got cut during fights. My teammates gave me this nickname,” Floyd explains.
To make the 1996 US Olympic team, he defeated Augie Sanchez twice in qualifying bouts. At the Olympics, he stopped Bakhtiyar Tilefanov of Kazakhstan in the second round, beat Artur Gevorkyan of Armenia, 16-13, and Lorenzo Aragon of Cuba, 12-11. In his next fight, he lost to Bulgarian Seraphim Todorov with a score of 12-11 (the decision was controversial, and the American team filed a protest about this). Mayweather later commented: “Being deprived of a well-deserved victory is part of boxing, both amateur and professional. I am one of many Americans who have been stripped of an Olympic gold medal, as happened to Roy Jones, Michael Carbajal, Evander Holyfield and Fernando Vargas. This gave me additional motivation to make my debut in the professional ring.”
Despite the failure, after the Olympic Games Mayweather was considered one of the most promising candidates to turn professional. And he did not disappoint these expectations, becoming the first professional world champion from the 1996 Olympic team.
Mayweather made his debut in the professional ring on October 11, 1996 in Las Vegas in a fight against Roberto Apodaca, whom he knocked out in the second round. In the next fight, Floyd won on points against Reggie Sanders. The next year, 1997, turned out to be a very busy year for Mayweather. He won ten victories, nine of them by knockout. The most impressive were victories over Tony Duran, Luis Leija and Angelo Nunes.
Mayweather's winning streak continued in 1998. In his first fight in 1998, he knocked out Hector Arroyo in the fifth round. Then he defeated Sam Gerard, Miguel Melo, Gustavo Kello and Tony Pep. After defeating Pep, Mayweather felt it was time to fight WBC junior lightweight champion Genaro Hernandez. The fight was scheduled for October 3, 1998. Less than two years have passed since Mayweather's professional debut.
Floyd demolished Hernandez in eight rounds in perhaps his most impressive fight as a professional. Punch statistics confirmed Mayweather's superiority: out of 412 of his strikes, 221 reached the target, against 314 and 103 for Hernandez. By the time the fight was stopped, he led the judges' scores 79-73 (twice) and 80-72.
In his next fight, on December 19, 1998, Mayweather defeated the very tough boxer Angel Manfredi by knockout in the second round. A few weeks later, Mayweather was named the best boxer of 1998 by Ring and Knockout magazines.
On February 17, in front of twelve thousand fans, Mayweather defeated challenger Carlos Rios from Argentina. “I was stunned walking home after the fight through a crowd of thousands: I felt like a rock star,” Mayweather said. This victory was followed by another, equally brilliant - over Justin Juko (33-2-1) from Uganda. Mayweather fired a series of right hands at Dzhuko's head and knocked him out in the second minute of the ninth round. In his next fight, on September 11, 1999, he won in the seventh round against "Topo" Jeren. Mayweather then signed a contract with manager James Prince and this gave a new impetus to his career. On March 18, 2000, Mayweather's first fight organized by Prince took place, in which Floyd defeated official WBC challenger Goyo Vargas.
When Mayweather was asked why he, as just a young contender, went to fight such strong boxers as Hernandez and Manfredi, he replied: “I wanted to give the audience what they want as quickly as possible. I want to save boxing from the fate of wrestling, where the audience knows in advance who will win. By showing everything you can, you make the outcome of the battle unpredictable. This creates intrigue. I also wanted to break into the elite as quickly as possible, and I think I succeeded.”
Mayweather considers his greatest achievement to be winning the world title at age 21 and being the first member of the 1996 Olympic team to do so. However, the decisive thing for Mayweather was the victory over Diego “Chico” Corrales, a very dangerous boxer who was the world champion at that time. Mayweather won by knockout in the 10th round on January 20, 2001. Mayweather then made another defense of his title, defeating Jesus Chavez by TKO, and moved up to the next weight class.
Returning to the ring in April 2002, Mayweather competed as a title challenger for the first time in 5 years. The fight with WBC lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo turned out to be very stubborn, and although the judges gave the victory to Mayweather, many did not agree with them. However, Mayweather won the rematch with Castillo, which took place in December of the same year, by a much larger margin. In 2003, Mayweather continued his streak of convincing victories over his rivals. This time it was Victoriano Souza who was defeated, losing by unanimous decision. After making another defense of his lightweight title against Philippe Ndou, Mayweather announced a move up to junior welterweight. His first opponent in this weight category will be former WBO champion Demarcus Corley, whose fight is scheduled for May 22.
Mayweather calls his fighting style universal: “I can make exchanges, box at different distances, act as number one or number two. I can find a style to defeat any opponent."
Mayweather enjoys listening to rap, bowling, going to the movies and dancing. His favorite films are films about the Italian mafia, such as Casino, Scarface and King of New York.