12 Legends of Christmas: Floyd Mayweather
Unbeaten money man changed the attitude of his era
Name: Floyd Mayweather Jr
Nicknames: Pretty Boy/Money
Date of First Fight: 11th October 1996
Date of Retirement: 26th August 2017
Titles: World titles at super-featherweight, lightweight, light-welterweight, welterweight and super-welterweight
Biography:
Floyd Mayweather was born Floyd Joy Sinclair on 24th February 1977 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His father, Floyd Sr, and his uncle Roger were professional boxers.
Floyd had a tough childhood, but with boxing in his family, he was always likely to pick up the gloves and start prizefighting. Floyd excelled as an amateur and won National tournaments before qualifying for the 1996 Olympic Games at featherweight.
He won three bouts before being eliminated by a Bulgarian fighter in the semi-finals. The decision was controversial, but the American team's official protest was unsuccessful.
Mayweather moved on and turned professional, making his debut in 1996 in Las Vegas. Mayweather coasted through many of his early fights and his speed and skills made boxing fans take notice.
Mayweather won the WBC super-featherweight title in 1998 when the champion Genaro Hernandez retired after eight rounds. Floyd went on to make nine defences of that title. The most impressive was a 2001 stoppage of unbeaten Diego Corrales.
When Floyd moved up to lightweight in 2002, he had one of the toughest fights of his entire career against Jose Luis Castillo. Many believed Castillo beat him, but Floyd came back to convincingly win a rematch.
Mayweather gradually moved through the weight classes as he got older. Winning many world titles at super-lightweight, welterweight and super-welterweight while beating top boxing names.
2007 was a breakout year as Floyd first beat Oscar De La Hoya who was a recognisable Pay-Per-View star of American boxing. Later in that year, he defeated UK fighter Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas. Shortly after fighting Hatton, he announced his retirement and did not box again for two years, when he returned to beat Juan Manuel Marquez.
Mayweather was hurt early in his 2010 fight with Shane Mosley but came back to win strongly. In 2013, he beat Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, who would go on to become a dominant force in boxing.
Marcos Maidana gave Mayweather two hard fights in 2014 as the champion came towards the end of his career. Floyd defeated MMA star Conor McGregor in his final ever legitimate contest in 2017.
The highest Mayweather ever weighed was 151 pounds against Miguel Cotto in 2012. The one-sided beating of Arturo Gatti in 2005 (below) was one of his most complete performances.
Later in his career, Floyd became known as one of the greatest defensive boxers of all time. However, early on, he was a spiteful finisher who could drop opponents with fast shots. He suffered from hand problems and changed his style to protect his knuckles. In total, Floyd won 15 world championships, including lineal and undisputed status in some weight classes.
In 2008, Floyd made a surprise appearance at WrestleMania, taking on the gigantic ‘Big Show’ character. Known for his outrageous wealth and love of money, Floyd has a generous side. In 2011, he paid for the funeral of former opponent Genaro Hernandez, and he has made numerous charitable donations to hospitals and hospices.
Image Credit: Marca, ESPN.