10 Things Every Boxing Fan Should Know About Floyd Mayweather

July 25, 2024

Highlights

Floyd Mayweather comes from a family of boxers and has been training his whole life.
Mayweather had an impressive amateur boxing career, winning regional Golden Glove championships and a bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics.
Mayweather quickly rose to championship glory within two years of turning professional and became a star in the boxing world, facing high-profile opponents and even venturing into other media.

Floyd 'Money' Mayweather is widely considered to be one of the greatest boxers of all time. Starting out as 'Pretty Boy Floyd', he rose to fame with his trash-talking ability and blistering fast hands. However, as he began to pile up injuries, he was forced to evolve into a defensive-oriented fighter.

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Somehow, Mayweather became even better and a bigger star, while suffering less and less damage. Now years deep into his retirement, there may be some newer fans of the sport who don't know a whole lot about the all-time great. However there's no need to worry, we've got you covered.

10 He Came From A Family Of Boxers

Mayweather Has Been Training His Entire Life

Floyd Mayweather began boxing as soon as he was walking.
His father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., had a 28-6-1 record.
His uncles Jeff and Roger also boxed professionally.

Floyd Mayweather was born in 1977, and was the son of Floyd Mayweather Sr. A former boxer himself who faced the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard and Marlon Starling, he began training his son as soon as he could walk.

It helps that Mayweather's uncles, Jeff and Roger, were also professional boxers as well. The latter of which actually became 'Money's main trainer from 2000 to 2012.

9 Mayweather Was An Incredible Amateur Boxer

'Money' Fought At The 1996 Olympics

Floyd Mayweather had an 84-8 amateur boxing record.
He won several regional Golden Glove championships.
He won bronze at the 1996 Olympics.

Given his family background, Floyd Mayweather was boxing early, and often as a teenager. In the amateurs, he compiled an excellent 84-8 record and won several Golden Gloves titles. In 1996, Mayweather fought at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

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He walked away with the bronze medal by reaching the semifinals at featherweight. However, like many other Olympics around this time, these boxing matches were ripe with corruption. He lost a controversial decision to Serafim Todorov, which has been compared to Roy Jones Jr's loss to Park Si-hun eight years earlier.

8 His Incredibly Fast Rise To Championship Glory

Mayweather Was A Champion Within Two Years Of Turning Professional

Two years after the Olympics, Floyd Mayweather was a champion.
In 1998, he knocked out Genaro Hernandez to win WBC gold.
Over the next four years, he had multiple title defenses.

Like many prospects, Floyd Mayweather started off his career fighting a lot of cans and fighting often. He compiled an 18-0 within a two year span, earning a title shot against Genaro Hernandez in 1998. Predictably, he dominated to win the WBC super featherweight title by knockout.

Over the next four years, he would dominate, scoring multiple title defenses over the likes of Diego Corrales. In 2002, Mayweather decided to move up to lightweight and chase another championship.

7 His Controversial Rivalry With Jose Luis Castillo

Mayweather's Most Controversial Win Came in 2002

Floyd Mayweather	Jose Luis Castillo
5'8"	5'8"
134 Pounds	134.5 Pounds
27-0 (Pre-Fight Record)	45-4-1 (Pre-Fight Record)

While Floyd Mayweather had a lot of controversial fights, his fight with Jose Luis Castillo stands out. In 2002, he moved up to lightweight and fought 'El Terrible' for WBC and The Ring gold. That April, Castillo gave Mayweather the toughest fight of his career.

However, the legendary boxer emerged with a controversial unanimous decision win. Over two decades later, this fight is still considered the most controversial of Mayweather's career. However, he later dominated Castillo in the rematch.

6 Floyd Mayweather Quickly Became A Star

Five Years After Beating Castillo, He Was The Face Of Boxing

From 2005 onwards, Floyd Mayweather was a massive star.
His bout with Arturo Gatti was the first pay-per-view outing of his career.
He faced other high-profile boxers over the coming years and even had a match in the WWE.

Floyd Mayweather won the lightweight title in 2002, but he didn't stay there for long. Over the next five years, he moved to super lightweight, and even welterweight. Along the way, he defeated fellow stars such as Arturo Gatti and Zab Judah.

That bout with 'Thunder' was the first pay-per-view bout of Mayweather's career, but it wasn't his last. Moving forward, the boxer exclusively fought on pay-per-view and became one of the biggest stars in the sport. Over the next few years, he even began to have appearances in other media, including a WrestleMania 24 match with Big Show.

5 The Founding Of Mayweather Promotions

In 2007, The Boxer Founded His Own Promotional Company

In 2007, Floyd Mayweather paid $750,000 to leave Top Rank.
He quickly founded 'Mayweather Promotions' to self-promote his bouts.
Over the next couple of years, he began to promote others including Gervonta Davis.

In 2007, Floyd Mayweather decided to leave Bob Arum's Top Rank. He exercised a provision in his contract to exit the deal, paying $750,000. That wound up being the greatest decision in his entire career.

Moving forward, Mayweather began to self-promote his events, leading to even more profit for himself. Over the next decade and a half, he even began to promote other boxers, including the likes of Gervonta Davis.

4 His Heated Feud With Oscar De La Hoya

In May 2007, These Two Legends Fought

Floyd Mayweather	Oscar De La Hoya
5'8"	5'10.5"
154 Pounds	150 Pounds
37-0 (Pre-Fight Record)	38-4 (Pre-Fight Record)

Whenever Floyd Mayweather was on the way up, Oscar De La Hoya was on the way down. 'Golden Boy' was nearing his retirement by 2007, but still had time to make a few megafights. Naturally, 'Pretty Boy' was a perfect target.

In May 2007, Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya gave fans 12 rounds of action. Again, the undefeated champion earned the win, this time by a split decision. Nearly two decades on from that fight, the two are still rivals, but as promoters.

3 His Long-Awaited Fight With Manny Pacquiao

It Took Years For These Legends To Clash

Floyd Mayweather	Manny Pacquiao
5'8"	5'5.5"
146 Pounds	145 Pounds
47-0 (Pre-Fight Record)	57-5-2 (Pre-Fight Record)

Starting in 2009, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao began discussions for a fight. However, due to disagreements over drug testing, purse split, and more, the two wouldn't clash until May 2015. The long wait only led to more hype for the contest, and the bout sold 4.6 million pay-per-view buys.

Ultimately, the 'Fight of the Century' was admittedly a bit disappointing. Neither man really left first gear, and Mayweather wound up winning by unanimous decision. Post-fight, it was revealed that Pacquiao fought with a shoulder injury, hindering his performance.

2 Floyd Mayweather Has Had Multiple Retirements

'Money' Retired For The Final Time In 2017

Floyd Mayweather first retired following a 2007 win over Ricky Hatton.
However, he quickly returned, and boxed until 2015.
Two years later, he again unretired to box Conor McGregor.

Retirement in combat sports is essentially meaningless, but that's especially the case for Floyd Mayweather. The boxer retired following his 2007 win over Ricky Hatton, as well as a 2015 victory over Andre Berto. However, Mayweather unretired once again, to fight Conor McGregor two years later.

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In Las Vegas, Mayweather defeated 'The Notorious' by tenth-round stoppage to move to 50-0. He again retired post-fight but has stayed true to his word.

1 Floyd Mayweather Is Active As An Exhibition Boxer

Since 2018, Mayweather Has Competed In Non-Professional Bouts

Floyd Mayweather has been retired since August 2017.
However, he's continued to compete in exhibition bouts.
In these contests, Mayweather's foes have varied from YouTubers to MMA fighters.

While Floyd Mayweather is still retired as a professional boxer, he still competes today. Starting in 2018, 'Money' began competing in exhibition boxing matches. For those unaware, exhibitions are more akin to sparring sessions, and won't show on a fighter's professional record.

Mayweather has held the ring with some interesting opponents on the exhibition circuit. He's faced names such as Logan Paul and John Gotti III, and will reportedly face Manny Pacquiao in a rematch later this year.

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