Boxing Legends: Floyd Mayweather
The fact Floyd Mayweather rang the final bell on his boxing career with an unblemished record, remaining undefeated in 50 professional bouts, tells us everything we need to know about his commitment to the cause.
Mayweather made no secret of his penchant for the high life, but that should in no way detract from his professionalism throughout an illustrious career in which he overcame the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Marcos Maidana, Canelo Alvarez, Ricky Hatton and even, at the very last, Conor McGregor.
Make no mistake, the American took his boxing extremely seriously. You simply can’t achieve what he did – winning 11 world titles – without being completely dedicated to your craft.
It was in the amateur ranks that Mayweather was first given the nickname of “Pretty Boy” due to the fact he had so few scars on his face, and his outstanding abilities were apparent from very early on in his career, with the Michigan-born fighter winning the national Golden Gloves championships on three separate occasions. The latter of those came in 1996, the same year in which he won a bronze medal in the featherweight division at the Olympic Games, which were held on home soil in Atlanta.
Naturally, the professional ranks beckoned, and Mayweather enjoyed an impressive debut by knocking out compatriot Roberto Apodoca inside two rounds in Las Vegas. It was to be the first in a very extensive list of unbeaten bouts.
Over the course of a number of years, Mayweather moved up weight divisions four times, picking up a number of titles along the way, including the WBC lightweight title in 2001, WBC super lightweight title in 2005 and the WBC welterweight title in 2006.
It was his victory over Oscar De La Hoya in 2007, however, for the WBC super welterweight title, which really propelled Mayweather into the public domain. Later the same year, he was back in action against Brit Ricky Hatton, with the build-up to the fight providing Mayweather with an opportunity to showcase his personality to the world’s media. While clearly relishing being in the spotlight, his standards inside the ring continued to rise and Hatton was seen off courtesy of a 10th-round knockout.
By this point, Mayweather was widely regarded as the real deal and one of the sport’s most talented stars, but in June 2008 he announced his retirement. However, it was no surprise when he returned to boxing 18 months later and overcame the challenge of Juan Manuel Marquez to extend his unbeaten run.
A controversial victory over Shane Mosley the following year ensured Mayweather recaptured the WBC welterweight title which he had given up on retiring, and another title followed in May 2012 when he beat Miguel Cotto to capture the WBA light middleweight belt.
The fight the world had been wanting to see for a long time – Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao – finally arrived in the summer of 2015, and while the bout itself failed to live up to the pre-fight hype, “Pretty Boy” was in control throughout the contest and eventually claimed victory via a unanimous points decision to cement his status as a true great.
After seeing off MMA fighter Conor McGregor in 2017, a bout which was viewed by some as a publicity stunt, Mayweather called time on a truly sensational professional career.
Multiple world titles. No defeats. Some of the best fighters in the world swept aside.
The Michigan man’s legendary status in the sport is well and truly secure.
