Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Early life

Amateur boxing career

1996 Olympics

Featherweight Olympic qualification

Professional boxing career

Personal life

Mayweather has four biological children and one adopted son. He has three children with former reality star Josie Harris, and one with television star Melissa Brim.

Фло́йд Ме́йвезер-младший(англ. Floyd Mayweather Jr.; род. 24 февраля 1977, Гранд-Рапидс, Мичиган, США) — непобеждённый американский боксёр-профессионал, выступавший в полусредней весовой категории.

Бронзовый призёр Олимпийских игр (1996). Чемпион мира во 2-й полулёгкой (версия WBC, 1998—2001 годы), лёгкой (версия WBC, 2002—2003 годы), 1-й полусредней (версия WBC, 2005 год), полусредней (версия IBF, 2006 год; версия IBO, 2006 год; версия WBC, 2006, 2007 и с 2011 года; версия WBA, с 2014 года; версия WBO, с 2015 года), 1-й средней (версия WBC, 2007 и с 2013 года; WBA, с 2012 года) весовых категориях. В целом, за всю свою карьеру победил 24 боксёра за титул чемпиона мира.

Лучший боксёр вне зависимости от весовой категории по версии журнала Ring (2005—2007, 2013—2015). Обладатель званий Боксёр года (1998, 2007) и Возвращение года (2009) по версии журнала The Ring. Боксёр года по версии BWAA (2007, 2013, 2015). Лучший боксер всех времен и народов вне зависимости от весовой категории по версии BoxRec. До октября 2018 года являлся самым высокооплачиваемым спортсменом в истории. Первый боксёр средних весовых категорий, доходы от трансляции поединков которого перевалили за $100-миллионный рубеж (Мейвезер-младший «расчистил путь» для представителей других весовых категорий, так как до него самыми «кассовыми» боксёрами были сугубо тяжеловесы: от Джона Саливана до Майка Тайсона).Финансовая подоплёка позднего этапа карьеры Мейвезера-младшего, огромные кассовые сборы и способность «собирать стадионы» принесли ему прозвище «Деньги». Благодаря Мейвезеру-младшему значительно возрос интерес к поединкам не-тяжёлых весовых категорий как в боксе, так и в спортивных единоборствах вообще. Среди прочих, ему принадлежит рекорд по участию в самых «кассовых» поединках: он участвовал (и победил) в трёх из пяти крупнейших в истории поединках по совокупной сумме сборов.

Фло́йд Ме́йвезер-младший(англ. Floyd Mayweather Jr.; род. 24 февраля 1977, Гранд-Рапидс, Мичиган, США) — непобеждённый американский боксёр-профессионал, выступавший в полусредней весовой категории.

Бронзовый призёр Олимпийских игр (1996). Чемпион мира во 2-й полулёгкой (версия WBC, 1998—2001 годы), лёгкой (версия WBC, 2002—2003 годы), 1-й полусредней (версия WBC, 2005 год), полусредней (версия IBF, 2006 год; версия IBO, 2006 год; версия WBC, 2006, 2007 и с 2011 года; версия WBA, с 2014 года; версия WBO, с 2015 года), 1-й средней (версия WBC, 2007 и с 2013 года; WBA, с 2012 года) весовых категориях. В целом, за всю свою карьеру победил 24 боксёра за титул чемпиона мира.

Лучший боксёр вне зависимости от весовой категории по версии журнала Ring (2005—2007, 2013—2015). Обладатель званий Боксёр года (1998, 2007) и Возвращение года (2009) по версии журнала The Ring. Боксёр года по версии BWAA (2007, 2013, 2015). Лучший боксер всех времен и народов вне зависимости от весовой категории по версии BoxRec. До октября 2018 года являлся самым высокооплачиваемым спортсменом в истории. Первый боксёр средних весовых категорий, доходы от трансляции поединков которого перевалили за $100-миллионный рубеж (Мейвезер-младший «расчистил путь» для представителей других весовых категорий, так как до него самыми «кассовыми» боксёрами были сугубо тяжеловесы: от Джона Саливана до Майка Тайсона).Финансовая подоплёка позднего этапа карьеры Мейвезера-младшего, огромные кассовые сборы и способность «собирать стадионы» принесли ему прозвище «Деньги». Благодаря Мейвезеру-младшему значительно возрос интерес к поединкам не-тяжёлых весовых категорий как в боксе, так и в спортивных единоборствах вообще. Среди прочих, ему принадлежит рекорд по участию в самых «кассовых» поединках: он участвовал (и победил) в трёх из пяти крупнейших в истории поединках по совокупной сумме сборов.

Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. (born Floyd Joy Sinclair; February 24, 1977) is an American professional boxing promoter and former professional boxer. He competed between 1996 and 2015, and made a one-fight comeback in 2017. He currently owns a team in the NASCAR Cup Series named The Money Team Racing. During his career he won fifteen major world championships from super featherweight to light middleweight, including the Ring magazine title in five weight classes, the lineal championship in four weight classes (twice at welterweight), and retired with an undefeated record. As an amateur, Mayweather won a bronze medal in the featherweight division at the 1996 Olympics, three U.S. Golden Gloves championships (at light flyweight, flyweight, and featherweight), and the U.S. national championship at featherweight.

Mayweather was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the 2010s by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA), a two-time winner of The Ring magazine's Fighter of the Year award (1998 and 2007), a three-time winner of the BWAA Fighter of the Year award (2007, 2013, and 2015), and a six-time winner of the Best Fighter ESPY Award (2007–2010, 2012–2014). In 2016, Mayweather was ranked by ESPN as the greatest boxer, pound for pound, of the last 25 years.] As of May 2021, BoxRec ranks him the greatest boxer of all time, pound for pound. Many sporting news and boxing websites, including The Ring, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, BoxRec, Fox Sports, and Yahoo! Sports, ranked Mayweather as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world twice in a span of ten years.

He is often referred to as the best defensive boxer in history, as well as being the most accurate puncher since the existence of CompuBox, having the highest plus–minus ratio in recorded boxing history. Mayweather has a record of 26 consecutive wins in world title fights (10 by KO), 23 wins (9 KOs) in lineal title fights, 24 wins (7 KOs) against former or current world titlists, 12 wins (3 KOs) against former or current lineal champions, and 5 wins (1 KO) against International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees. Mayweather was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the class of 2021.

Mayweather is one of the most lucrative pay-per-view attractions of all time, in any sport. He topped the Forbes and Sports Illustrated lists of the 50 highest-paid athletes of 2012 and 2013, and the Forbes list again in both 2014 and 2015, listing him as the highest-paid athlete in the world. In 2006, he founded his own boxing promotional firm, Mayweather Promotions, after leaving Bob Arum's Top Rank. Mayweather has generated approximately 24 million PPV buys and $1.67 billion in revenue throughout his career, surpassing the likes of former top PPV attractions including Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao. In 2018, Mayweather was the highest-paid athlete in the world, with total earnings, including endorsements amounting to $285 million, according to Forbes. In November, 2021, Sportico released an all-time athlete earnings list, in which Mayweather ranked no. 6 all time, totaling an inflation-adjusted $1.2 billion throughout his career.

Early life

Mayweather was born Floyd Joy Sinclair on February 24, 1977, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, into a family of boxers. His father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., is a former welterweight contender who fought Hall of Famer Sugar Ray Leonard. His uncles Jeff and the late Roger Mayweather were professional boxers, with the latter—Floyd's former trainer—winning two world championships, as well as fighting Hall of Famers Julio César Chávez, Pernell Whitaker, and Kostya Tszyu. Mayweather was born with his mother's last name, but his last name would change to Mayweather shortly thereafter. His maternal grandfather was born in Kingston, Jamaica. He attended Ottawa Hills High School before dropping out.

Boxing has been a part of Mayweather's life since his childhood and he never seriously considered any other profession. "I think my grandmother saw my potential first," he said. "When I was young, I told her, 'I think I should get a job.' She said, 'No, just keep boxing.'" During the 1980s, Mayweather lived in the Hiram Square neighborhood of New Brunswick, New Jersey, where his mother had relatives. He later said, "When I was about eight or nine, I lived in New Jersey with my mother and we were seven deep in one bedroom and sometimes we didn't have electricity. When people see what I have now, they have no idea of where I came from and how I didn't have anything growing up."

It was common for the young Mayweather to come home from school and find used heroin needles in his front yard. His mother was addicted to drugs, and he had an aunt who died from AIDS because of her drug use. "People don't know the hell I've been through," he says. The most time that his father spent with him was taking him to the gym to train and work on his boxing, according to Mayweather. "I don't remember him ever taking me anywhere or doing anything that a father would do with a son, going to the park or to the movies or to get ice cream," he says. "I always thought that he liked his daughter [Floyd's older sister] better than he liked me because she never got whippings and I got whippings all the time."

Mayweather's father contends that Floyd is not telling the truth about their early relationship. "Even though his daddy did sell drugs, I didn't deprive my son," the elder Mayweather says. "The drugs I sold, he was a part of it. He had plenty of food. He had the best clothes and I gave him money. He didn't want for anything. Anybody in Grand Rapids can tell you that I took care of my kids". Floyd Sr. says he did all of his hustling at night and spent his days with his son, taking him to the gym and training him to be a boxer. "If it wasn't for me he wouldn't be where he is today," he maintains.

"I basically raised myself," Mayweather says. "My grandmother did what she could. When she got mad at me I'd go to my mom's house. My life was ups and downs." His father says he knows how much pain his incarceration caused his son, but insists he did the best he could. "I sent him to live with his grandmother," he says. "It wasn't like I left him with strangers." In the absence of his father, boxing became an outlet for Mayweather. As the elder Mayweather served his time, his son put all of his energy into boxing and dropped out of high school. "I knew that I was going to have to try to take care of my mom and I made the decision that school wasn't that important at the time and I was going to have to box to earn a living," he said.

Amateur boxing career

Mayweather had an amateur record of 84 wins and 8 losses, and won national Golden Gloves championships in 1993 (at 106 lb), 1994 (at 114 lb), and 1996 (at 125 lb). He was nicknamed "Pretty Boy" by his amateur teammates because he had relatively few scars, a result of the defensive techniques that his father and uncle (Roger Mayweather) had taught him.In his orthodox defensive stance Mayweather often utilizes the shoulder roll, an old-school boxing technique in which the right hand is held normally (or slightly higher than normal), the left hand is down around the midsection and the lead shoulder is raised high on the cheek in order to cover the chin and block punches. The right hand (as in the orthodox stance) is used as it normally would be: to block punches coming from the other side, such as left hooks. From this stance Mayweather blocks, slips and deflects most of his opponents' punches (even when cornered) by twisting left and right to the rhythm of their punches.

1996 Olympics

At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Mayweather won a bronze medal by reaching the semi-finals of the featherweight (57-kg) division.

In the first fight, Mayweather led 10–1 on points over Bakhtiyar Tileganov of Kazakhstan, before winning when the fight was stopped. In the second fight, Mayweather outpointed Artur Gevorgyan of Armenia 16–3. In the quarterfinals, the 19-year-old Mayweather narrowly defeated 22-year-old Lorenzo Aragon of Cuba in an all-action bout to win 12–11, becoming the first U.S boxer to defeat a Cuban in 20 years. The last time this occurred was the 1976 Summer Olympics, when the U.S Olympic boxing team captured five gold medals; among the recipients was Sugar Ray Leonard. In his semifinal bout against eventual silver medalist Serafim Todorov of Bulgaria, Mayweather lost by a controversial decision (similar to Roy Jones Jr.'s highly controversial decision loss to Park Si-hun at the 1988 Summer Olympics). Referee Hamad Hafaz Shouman of Egypt mistakenly raised Mayweather's hand (thinking he had won), while the decision was announced giving the bout to the Bulgarian.

The U.S. team filed a protest over the Mayweather bout, claiming the judges were intimidated by Bulgaria's Emil Jetchev (head of the boxing officials) into favoring the Bulgarian Todorov by a 10–9 decision in the 125-pound semifinal bout. Three of Jetchev's countrymen were in gold medal bouts. Judge Bill Waeckerle (one of the four U.S. judges working the games for the International Amateur Boxing Federation) resigned as Olympic Games and federation judge after Mayweather lost the decision, which was loudly booed by the crowd at the Alexander Memorial Coliseum. "I refuse to be part of an organization that continues to conduct its officiating in this manner", Waeckerle wrote in his letter of resignation to federation president Anwar Chowdhry.

In the official protest U.S. team manager Gerald Smith said Mayweather landed punches that were not counted, while Todorov was awarded points without landing a punch. "The judging was totally incompetent," Waeckerle said. The judges failed to impose a mandatory two-point deduction against Todorov after he was warned five times by the referee for slapping. "Everybody knows Floyd Mayweather is the gold-medal favorite at 57 kilograms," Mayweather said afterward. "In America, it's known as 125 pounds. You know and I know I wasn't getting hit. They say he's the world champion. Now you all know who the real world champion is."

Featherweight Olympic qualification

Defeated William Jenkins RSC/TKO-3

Defeated James Baker RSCH/TKO-1

Lost to Augie Sanchez PTS (11–12)

Defeated Carlos Navarro PTS (31–11)

Defeated Augie Sanchez PTS (12–8) in the box-offs

Defeated Augie Sanchez PTS (20–10) in the box-offs

Olympic results

Defeated Bakhtiyar Tileganov (Kazakhstan) RSCI/TKO-2

Defeated Artur Gevorgyan (Armenia) PTS (16–3)

Defeated Lorenzo Aragon (Cuba) PTS (12–11)

Lost to Serafim Todorov (Bulgaria) PTS (9–10)*

*Decision was protested unsuccessfully by the U.S. team

Professional boxing career

Super featherweight

Mayweather won his first professional bout on October 11, 1996, when he knocked out fellow newcomer Roberto Apodaca in Round 2. Mayweather's trainer at the time was his uncle, Roger Mayweather; his father was still imprisoned after his conviction for illegal drug trafficking in 1993. The latter took over as his son's trainer when he was released from prison (after Mayweather Jr.'s 14th fight—a second-round knockout of Sam Girard). From 1996 to early 1998, Mayweather won most of his fights by knockout or TKO.

Early in his pro career, Mayweather received praise from all corners of the boxing world and was touted as a pugilistic prodigy. During his fight with Tony Duran the ESPN commentator remarked, "Emmanuel Steward was quoted as saying there have been very few who have been more talented than this kid. He will probably win two or three world championships; I think he will go on to be the best ever". IBHOF trainer and commentator Gil Clancy commented before Mayweather's ninth professional fight (against Jesus Chavez), "I thought that Floyd Mayweather was the outstanding pro prospect in the entire Olympic games".

Personal life

Mayweather resides in a 22,000-square-foot (2,000 m2), five-bedroom, seven-bath, custom-built mansion in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In 2008, he recorded a rap song titled "Yep" that he used for his entrance on WrestleMania XXIV in his match against Big Show.

He owns a boxing gym, the "Mayweather Boxing Club, in the Chinatown Plaza in Las Vegas.

In 2011, he paid for the funeral of former super lightweight world champion and former opponent Genaro Hernandez, who died of cancer after a three-year battle.

Mayweather has four biological children and one adopted son. He has three children with former reality star Josie Harris, and one with television star Melissa Brim.