Floyd Mayweather Jr. (genus. Multiple champion in the categories from 2nd featherweight (59 kg) to 1st average (69.85 kg). In the ring he boxed in counter-punch style, having a left-sided stance.
According to the magazine "Ring" in different years he was recognized as the best boxer 6 times, regardless of the weight category. Until October 2018, he was the highest paid athlete in history, as a result of which he received the nickname "Money".
There are many interesting facts in Mayweather's biography, which we will tell about in this article.
So, here is a short biography of Floyd Mayweather.
Mayweather biography
Floyd was born on February 24, 1977 in the city of Grand Rapidas (Michigan). He grew up and was raised in the family of professional boxer Floyd Mayweather Sr.
His uncles, Jeff and Roger Mayweather, were also professional boxers. Roger became the world champion in the 2nd featherweight (WBA version, 1983-1984) and 1st welterweight (WBC version, 1987-1989) categories.
Childhood and youth
From an early age, Floyd began boxing without showing serious interest in any other sport.
When Mayweather Sr. retired from boxing, he became involved in drug trafficking, as a result of which he later ended up in prison. Floyd's mother was a drug addict, so the boy repeatedly found used syringes in the courtyard of the house.
It is worth noting that Mayweather's aunt died of AIDS due to drug use.
Left without a father, the family faced serious financial problems. According to Floyd, he was his mother and six other people were forced to live in the same room.
To improve his financial situation, Floyd Mayweather decided to leave school and devote all of himself to training. The teenager spent all his free time in the ring, honing his fighting skills.
The young man had great speed, as well as a great sense of the ring.
Boxing
Floyd's amateur career began at the age of 16. In 1993 he took part in the Golden Gloves amateur boxing championship, which he subsequently won.
After that, Mayweather twice became the champion in these competitions. During this time, he spent 90 fights, winning 84 fights.
An interesting fact is that during that period of his biography, Floyd Mayweather received the nickname "Handsome" because he never received cuts or serious injuries during the fighting.
In 1996, Floyd went to the Atlanta Olympics. He managed to win a bronze medal, losing in the semifinals to a Bulgarian boxer.
In the same year, Mayweather began performing in the professional ring. His first opponent was Mexican Roberto Apodac, whom he knocked out in the second round.
Over the next 2 years, Floyd had over 15 fights, most of which ended in knockouts for his opponents.
In 1998, in Mayweather, he defeated WBC 1st lightweight champion Genaro Hernandez. After that, he constantly moved from category to category, changing 5 weight groups.
Floyd continued to win, demonstrating more and more spectacular and fast boxing. The best fights of that period are fights with Diego Corrales, Zaba Jude, Oscar de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Shane Mosley and Victor Ortiz.
In 2013, the championship titles "WBA" super, "WBC" and "Ring" were played between undefeated Floyd Mayweather and Saul Alvarez.
The fight lasted all 12 rounds. Floyd looked much better than his opponent, as a result of which he won by decision. An interesting fact is that at that time this fight became the highest grossing in the history of boxing - $ 150 million. After the victory, Mayweather received half of this amount.
Then the American met with the Argentinean Marcos Maidana. Floyd nearly lost to Marcos, having conceded the most shots from him in his career. However, at the end of the meeting, he managed to seize the initiative and win the fight.
In 2015, Mayweather's fight with Filipino Manny Pacquiao was organized. The meeting attracted a lot of attention around the world. Many called it the fight of the century.
Boxers fought for the title of the strongest, regardless of the weight category, for the titles of 3 professional associations at once. The fight turned out to be rather boring, as the opponents adhered to a more closed boxing.
In the end, Mayweather was declared the winner. However, the champion paid tribute to Pacquiao, calling him a "hell of a fighter."
This confrontation became the most lucrative in the history of boxing. Floyd received $ 300 million and Pacquiao $ 150. The total income from the fight exceeded a fantastic $ 500 million!
After that, the sports biography of Floyd Mayweather was replenished with the 49th victory over Andre Berto. Thus, he was able to repeat the achievement of Rocky Marciano in terms of the number of unbeaten meetings.
In August 2017, a fight was organized between Floyd and Conor McGregor. An interesting fact is that for Conor, the MMA champion, this was the first fight in the professional boxing ring.
The meeting of some of the most famous and strong fighters caused a huge stir. For this reason, not only the special "WBC Money Belt" was at stake, but also a fantastic fee.
In an interview, Mayweather admitted that he is not a fool to refuse the opportunity to earn hundreds of millions of dollars in half an hour.
As a result, Floyd defeated his opponent by TKO in the tenth round. After that, he announced his retirement from boxing.
Personal life
Floyd has never been officially married, while having four children from two different girls.
From the last common-law wife, Josie Harris, with whom Mayweather lived for about 10 years, the girl Jira and 2 boys, Coraun and Zion, were born.
In 2012, Josie, after breaking up with a boxer, filed a lawsuit against Floyd. The girl accused her ex-boyfriend of causing bodily harm.
The incident took place at the Harris house, where the athlete broke into and beat her in front of his own children. The court ruled to put Mayweather in prison for 90 days. As a result, he was released ahead of schedule 4 weeks earlier.
In 2013, the man almost married Chantelle Jackson, giving her a diamond ring for $ 10 million. However, the young people never got married. According to Floyd, he did not want to marry Chantelle after he learned that she had secretly aborted, getting rid of the twins.
Today Mayweather meets with masseuse Doralie Medina. For his new lover, he bought a villa for $ 25 million.
According to Forbes magazine, Floyd is considered the richest boxer in the world. His capital is estimated at more than $ 1 billion. He owns 88 luxury cars, as well as a Gulfstream aircraft.
Floyd Mayweather today
In the fall of 2018, Floyd accepted a challenge from Khabib Nurmagomedov, but made a condition that the fight would take place not in the octagon, but in the ring. However, this meeting never took place.
After that, information appeared in the press about a possible rematch between Mayweather and Pacquiao. Both fighters were not opposed to meeting again, but apart from talking the matter did not progress further.
Floyd has an Instagram account where he uploads his photos. As of 2020, over 23 million people have subscribed to his page!
Mayweather Photos
