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, whom it 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 .

There are people who sincerely admire him, considering him the best pound-for-pound boxer in history. Others think that the hero of our material is extremely selective in choosing opponents and diligently bypasses real barriers. But one thing unites everyone: no one feels indifference to this boxer.

Floyd Mayweather Jr.- born Floyd Sinclair, born February 24, 1977 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.

Floyd is an undefeated American boxer. And this article is dedicated to his outstanding sports genius. We will try to highlight the most significant moments of the boxer’s career and sports life.

Mayweather was born into a boxing family. His father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., a former welterweight, fought the famous Sugar Ray Leonard. His uncles (Jeff Mayweather and Roger Mayweather) were professional boxers. Roger, Floyd's current trainer, has won two world titles.

Floyd Mayweather Sr., Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Roger Mayweather

Mayweather was born with his mother's surname, but in order to accelerate the growth of Floyd's fame, his surname was changed to the already sensational one in boxing - “Mayweather.”

Boxing has been a part of Mayweather's life since childhood; he never seriously considered any other profession. " I think my grandmother saw my potential first", Mayweather has repeatedly stated. " When I was young enough, I told her: I think it’s time for me to think about my future job. She replied: no, just box".

Floyd grew up in a poor family, his father admits that he used drugs, but did not deprive his son of parental attention and love. An exception is the prison sentences of Floyd Sr. But drugs, death and crime were always nearby. For example, Floyd's aunt, who regularly used drugs, died of AIDS.

Boxing became an outlet for Mayweather Jr., 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.

And the aspirations of this extraordinary man were justified. During his career, he was awarded the title of World Champion in the 2nd featherweight (WBC version, 1998-2001), lightweight (WBC version, 2002-2003), 1st welterweight (WBC version, 2005), welterweight (IBF version, 2006; WBC version, 2006, 2007, 2011-present; WBA version, 2014-present), 1st middle weight category (WBC version, 2007, 2013-present; WBA, 2012-present) . Floyd is also the best boxer regardless of weight category in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2012 and 2013 according to Ring magazine. Currently he is the best boxer regardless of weight category (p4p) according to Ring and BoxRec.

As an amateur boxer, Mayweather had 90 fights. His final record was 84-6. He won the National Golden Gloves trophy in 1993 (106 pounds), 1994 (114 pounds) and 1996 (125 pounds). Floyd earned the nickname "Pretty Boy" for his defensive tactics and desire to get out of every fight with minimal damage.

At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta he won a bronze medal:

1/16 finals. Defeated Bakhtiyar Tolegenov (Kazakhstan) RSCI 1;

1/8 finals. Defeated Artur Gevorkyan (Armenia) PTS (16-3);

Quarterfinals. Defeated Lorenzo Aragon (Cuba) PTS (12-11);

Semi-final. Lost to Serafim Todorov (Bulgaria) PTS (9-10).

Mayweather Jr. made his debut in the professional ring on October 11, 1996. Floyd knocked out another debutant in the professional ring, Mexican boxer Roberto Apodaca, in the second round.

The hero of this material fought with high frequency, and before the first title fight he fought 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 never thought I would lose like that. He is incredibly fast and technical." Mayweather's promoter Bob Arum then stated that Floyd is the successor to Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson and Sugar Ray Leonard.

In January 2001, Mayweather entered the ring against the previously unbeaten, 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.

In May 2001, Mayweather faced Carlos Hernandez. Floyd dominated throughout the 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.

Mayweather - Carlos Hernandez

In November 2001, Mayweather Jr. met with Mexican Jesus Chavez. In the 9th round, Chavez missed several strong shots. Between the 9th and 10th rounds the fight was stopped by Chavez's corner. After this fight, Mayweather moved up to lightweight.

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.

Mayweather - Castillo. Fight 1

Unofficial HBO judge Harold Lederman thought Castillo had won. The outcome was scandalous, and Mayweather decided to give immediate revenge.

In December 2002, in a rematch, Mayweather convincingly defeated Castillo.

Mayweather-Castillo. Fight 2

In 2003, Mayweather entered the ring against Victoriano Sosa. At the end of 12 rounds, the judges gave Floyd the victory with a crushing score. Not everyone agreed with the judges' assessments.

In November 2003, Mayweather entered the ring against Phillip Ndou. In the 7th round, Mayweather landed 3 straight right crosses to Ndu's head. Ndu fell. Mayweather landed a 4th right cross on his fallen opponent. The referee immediately sent him off. Ndu got up at the count of 9, but didn't want to continue the fight. The referee stopped the fight. After this fight, Mayweather moved up to 1st welterweight.

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.

Mayweather - Zab Judah

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 won the fight, dominating the first 8 rounds. Unlike most of Mayweather's opponents, Oscar did not fail. In the second half of the fight, Mayweather himself rushed to attack. 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.

Mayweather - De La Hoya

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. In the 9th round, Floyd took a short break, and the course of the meeting evened out. 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.

Mayweather - Hatton

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 not a 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.

For the fight, Mayweather received $10 million, excluding ppv (paid broadcasts). Marquez received $3.2 million excluding ppv.

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 hugged Mayweather, apologizing. But before the boxers had time to take a step back to continue, Floyd made a left-right deuce into Ortiz’s open head. The fight ended in a knockout in favor of Floyd Mayweather.

Mayweather - Ortiz

On September 14, 2013, Floyd Mayweather faced junior middleweight champion Saul Alvarez. The fight became the highest-grossing fight in boxing history, and collected a total box office of more than $150 million. Saul could not oppose the experienced American, and Floyd Mayweather outboxed Alvarez with a great advantage, having an 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 singer Justin Bieber was present in the ring during the award ceremony.

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 shots. 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.

Mayweather - Maidana. Best moments of the first fight

Let us remember that the fight between Mayweather and Maidana was very exciting; some experts said that the result was quite controversial. After such words, Mayweather announced that he promises to have a rematch with Marcos. Actually, tomorrow - September 13, 2014 - this fight will take place.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. said that after the rematch with Marcos Maidana he will have two more fights, after which he intends to retire.

“I only have two fights left on my contract. After the next two fights, I just want to start developing my own brand, Mayweather Promotions. At the moment, all my attention is directed to the fight with Maidana.”

Let us remind you that the Mayweather-Maidana fight will take place in Las Vegas.

Will the Champion remain undefeated? The answer to this question will probably be given to us by Mayweather himself...

At the end of this article, we wish Floyd good luck in tomorrow's fight, and a good and exciting show for boxing fans...

The 39-year-old ex-world champion in five weight categories, the former leader of the pound-for-pound ranking of boxers, and the highest-grossing American athlete of our time (49-0-0, 27 KO) fought his last fight exactly a year ago , after which he decided to end his career. How Handsome Man lives during his well-deserved retirement is in our material.

The same fight that took place on September 13, 2015. Floyd's opponent was Andre Berto, a downed pilot who offered absolutely no resistance to Mayweather, losing devastatingly on the cards of all three judges: 120-108, 118-110, 117-111. Apparently, what worked was that Berto’s current girlfriend Chantel Jackson, also known as Floyd’s ex-common-law wife, who at one time accused him of domestic violence against her, was not a sufficient motivator.

Mayweather repeated the record of the legendary Rocky Marciano, winning 49 victories in 49 fights. And according to many colleagues in the boxing workshop, he will definitely set his sights on breaking the record, single-handedly writing himself into the history of world boxing as the fighter with the most victories without defeats.

However, another question arises: how to motivate yourself in conditions of complete prosperity, once again taking risks at a time when everything is fine? Does Floyd himself need this? He hasn't decided yet.

Holding a fight a la Mayweather - Pacquiao 2 will no longer work. To deceive boxing in this way, calling the confrontation the fight of the century, and then getting what you got in the end is overkill. The viewer’s expectations were deceived; he will no longer pay exorbitant amounts of money for boxing from Floyd. Let us remind you that the fight with Pacquiao collected a record number of views on the pay-per-view system - 4.4 million. The previous record was recorded during the fight between Mayweather and Oscar de la Hoya in 2007 and was equal to 2.48 million views.

Alternatively, Floyd could arrange a fight with former UFC champion MMA fighter Conor McGregor. But what are the rules for conducting this confrontation? It is clear that in a fight according to the rules of boxing it will be impossible to win against Floyd, but in a fight according to the rules of mixed martial arts Conor will win. In any case, this is now the most discussed option related to Denezhny’s return to business.

Floyd visited the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where he was a frequent guest at fights involving boxers from the American team. The best selection is personal presence at the main boxing competitions of the four years. “I'm here to find future world boxing champions,” he wrote. Floyd himself is the winner of the bronze medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

One way or another, Mayweather does not stay away from boxing. Maintaining the tone is facilitated by our own promotional company, Mayweather Promotions, which is at the development stage. Mayweather personally oversees the signing of hot prospects and organizes boxing shows. The next tournament will take place on September 16

Mayweather's overall financial status is unknown. However, the fact that he received about $300 million for the fight with Pacquiao alone can say a lot. It is not for nothing that Floyd regularly appears in the top of the highest paid athletes. Almost a third of the above amount is represented by precious jewelry and other attributes of luxury.

Floyd visited Moscow several times. On one of my visits I visited an Orthodox church. I have never been so happy. God could have chosen someone else, but I'm glad I'm one of the chosen ones.

In his spare time, Floyd is no stranger to a love of art. In the company of close friends, in particular, musician Justin Bieber, Mayweather is not averse to performing several lyrical and not so lyrical songs with a guitar. “I got lost, I don’t know where, I saw a wonderful miracle”...

Collection of championship belts. Five weight categories 19 years in the ring.

Mayweather regularly plays in a bookmaker's office, betting mainly on basketball and American football. One day, the boxer’s audience saw a photo of a check on the Internet for a bet of $1.1 million. And such an example is far from the only one. History is silent about how much Denezhny loses on adventurous bets and so-called catch-ups.

More than anything else, Floyd loves money. His nickname speaks for itself - Money.

Outside of boxing, Mayweather has a lot of free time. As the boxer himself admits, his long-time dream is to travel around the world. And judging by the marks on the map, he was very successful in this matter. Here Floyd is in the Maldives mastering a new form of supsurfing (surfing on a board with an oar).

In the Dubai desert.

In Egyptian.

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”.

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Biography, life story of Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. (birth name Floyd Sinclair) is an American professional boxer.

Brief information

Name: Floyd Mayweather.

Titles: WBC junior lightweight champion; WBC lightweight champion; the best boxer in all weight categories (he was awarded this title many times).

Date of birth: 02/24/1977.

Place of birth: Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.

Height: 173 cm.

Attack distance: 183 cm.

Childhood

Floyd Mayweather Jr. was born on 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, I began to practice striking on various objects, such as door handles. I first put on gloves when I was seven or eight years old.",” said the boxer, nicknamed “Handsome.”

Youth. The beginning of the journey

Despite Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s young age, it was obvious from the very beginning of his career that he was the best boxer from the outstanding American boxing dynasty of the Mayweathers. This dynasty consists of his uncle Roger, a two-time world champion at lightweight and junior welterweight, another uncle Jeff, who came close to winning the title, and his father Floyd Mayweather Sr., who boxed Sugar Ray Leonard in the eighties. Floyd Mayweather Jr. owes much of his career to them.

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 categories, praised the young boxer, saying: “I never thought I would be so defeated. He's too fast and good for me. He proved that he is the best". Mayweather's promoter not only agreed with Hernandez, but also compared his fighter to other prominent champions: “Floyd is the successor to Sugar Ray Leonard. He is an outstanding boxer".

CONTINUED BELOW

Amateur boxer

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 didn’t get it because of my looks, but because I never got cut during fights. My teammates gave me this nickname."“Floyd explained.

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 the next fight, he lost to the 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 also 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, 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.

Professional boxer

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 very busy for Mayweather. He won ten victories, nine of them by knockout. The most impressive victories were 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 when I walked 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, being 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 considered 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 was ex-WBO champion Demarcus Corley, whose fight is scheduled for May 22.

Over the following years, Mayweather worked hard and achieved considerable heights.

One of Floyd's most striking fights was his meeting with the Filipino boxer in 2015. Their battle was closely watched by sports fans around the world. At the end of the competition, Mayweather was unconditionally declared the winner.

Mayweather has always called 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.".

Hobbies

Since his youth, Mayweather loved listening to rap, bowling, going to the movies and dancing. Most of all, he always liked films about the Italian mafia, such as “Casino”, “Scarface” and “King of New York”.

Personal life

Apparently, due to a difficult childhood (a large and poor family, the frequent absence of a father, the death of his beloved aunt, incomplete education), Floyd Mayweather, as an adult, decided not to focus his attention on creating a strong family. Rather, he can be called an avid bachelor - he had many girls, two of whom even gave him children (the boxer has four heirs in total). However, Floyd did not have such strong and warm feelings for any of his girlfriends that he would voluntarily give up freedom.

Trouble with the law

In 2012, the public was shocked by the horrifying news that Floyd Mayweather Jr. brutally beat his former lover Josie Harris in front of his own young children. As punishment for his outrageous act, the boxer was supposed to spend three months in prison, but thanks to his good behavior he was released almost a month before the end of his sentence.