Floyd Mayweather Bio
Posted 12:00 AM | Apr 3, 2012
| Weight Class: | Welterweight |
| Record: | 43 Wins | 0 Losses | 26 KOs |
| Hometown: | Grand Rapids, MI |
| Birthdate: | February 24, 1977 |
| Height: | 5'8" |
| Nickname: | Pretty Boy |
Floyd "Money" Mayweather is without question the best and most talented fighter in boxing today. Mayweather displays an unprecedented mix of speed, power and natural instinct every time he steps into the ring - a combination that has translated to 42 wins without a loss, 26 knockouts, seven world championships in five weight classes and an endless list of accolades, including being named Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America, Ring Magazine, BET and ESPN's coveted ESPY Award, over the course of his career. In addition to these recognitions, Mayweather has established himself atop boxing's all-time best and a money-making genius, consistently posting victories and record-breaking pay-per-view success.
Mayweather's greatness and earnings prowess is demonstrated every time he fights. In his last bout on Saturday, September 17, 2011 he faced the hard-hitting then-WBC Welterweight World Champion Victor Ortiz. The bout, which ended in a fourth-round knockout, once again showed the sports world why Mayweather is an astute master of the game and the pay-per-view king. With 1.25 million buys, Mayweather vs. Ortiz became the second highest grossing non-heavyweight fight in history.
Prior to the Ortiz bout, Mayweather fought Sugar Shane Mosley on May 1, 2010. He performed brilliantly and dominated Mosley en route to a shut-out unanimous decision victory. The fight was purchased by 1.4 million homes generating $78.3 million in revenue and earned Mayweather $40 million. In the 36 minute-long fight, "Money" earned approximately $1.1 million per minute and his performance summoned scores of celebrities and sports stars including A-listers Muhammad Ali, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael J. Fox, Paris Hilton and Jamie Foxx who were among the ringside observers.
"My career is very important to me and as long as I have the desire and ability to be at top of the boxing charts, I will continue my legacy by competing in the ring," said Mayweather. "My goal has always been to be one of the best fighters who ever lived, but I also want to be a successful businessman, thinking outside of just the boxing ring and touching as many people as possible while my career is at its peak."
In addition to his boxing accomplishments, Mayweather has also become a crossover star, appearing in the Emmy award winning HBO reality series "24/7" five times. With each appearance, he provided cameras with an all access look at his training and personal life. Not a stranger to media requests and national television, Mayweather has appeared in commercials for AT&T and ESPN, competed on ABC's Dancing With The Stars in 2007, hosted WWE's Monday Night Raw, and appeared on WWE WrestleMania XXIV in 2008. These opportunities, as well as the countless others such as Sports Illustrated, ESPN The Magazine and Men's Fitness and visits to Conan, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Live with Regis & Kelly and E! Channel's Chelsea Lately, demonstrates his impact across the sports and mainstream media spectrum as one of the most talked about athletes in the world.
Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Mayweather was born into a boxing family. His father, Floyd Sr., was a former welterweight contender who fought Hall of Famer Sugar Ray Leonard, and his uncles, Roger and Jeff, were also pro fighters, with Roger - Floyd's current trainer - winning two world championships during his prime.
Fitted with boxing gloves while he was still a toddler, Floyd started boxing competitively at the age of seven and his acumen for the game was obvious from the start. He would go on to compile an 84-6 amateur record while earning three Michigan Golden Gloves titles, three National Golden Gloves titles, PAL and National Championships and an Olympic Bronze medal in the 1996 Games.
Turning pro in the super featherweight division on October 11, 1996, Mayweather blitzed Roberto Apodaca in just two rounds...his journey to greatness was underway. After one more win in 1996, Mayweather went 10-0 with 9 knockouts in 1997 and added five more wins to his ledger in the first half of 1998. Fight fans were chomping at the bit to see the ultra-talented Mayweather in with the elite at 130 pounds, and on October 3, 1998, they got their chance when the 21-year old faced off against the late Genaro Hernandez for Chicanito's WBC world championship.
The highly anticipated fight was no contest, as Mayweather battered the veteran with blinding combinations, pitching a near shutout before the fight was stopped after the eighth round. Floyd Mayweather was a World Champion.
As any great champion will tell you, winning a title is one thing, defending it is another, and Mayweather, despite his natural physical gifts, showed his desire for greatness by outworking his opponents in the gym and gaining a reputation as one of the hardest workers in the sport.
This work ethic paid off as Mayweather defended his super featherweight title eight times from 1998 to 2001, defeating Angel Manfredy (TKO2), Carlos Rios (W12), Justin Juuko (KO9), Carlos Gerena (TKO7), Gregorio Vargas (W12), Diego Corrales (TKO10), Carlos Hernandez (W12) and Jesus Chavez (TKO9). Corrales, Hernandez and Chavez would all go on to win world titles after their one-sided losses to Mayweather.
With the 130 pound weight class cleaned out, Mayweather sought new challenges at 135 pounds, and he got it in his WBC lightweight championship fight against Mexico's tough Jose Luis Castillo on April 20, 2002. After 12 hard-fought rounds, Mayweather had won his second world crown.
Fight fans clamored for a rematch and Floyd answered their call in his very next fight less than eight months later, repeating with a 12 round decision win over Castillo. He went on to defend the lightweight title twice more, over Victoriano Sosa (W12) and Phillip N'dou (TKO7) before testing the waters at 140 pounds.
In the junior welterweight division, Mayweather immediately made his presence known with a dominating 12 round decision win over former World Champion DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley on May 22, 2004. After an eighth round stoppage of Henry Bruseles to kick off 2005, Mayweather made his debut as a pay-per-view headliner on June 25, 2005, when he walked through the rugged Arturo Gatti, stopping him in just six rounds to win the WBC 140-pound championship.
Mayweather didn't spend much time at junior welterweight, as he immediately jumped up to the welterweight division to take on the best in yet another weight class. Floyd kicked off his 147-pound campaign with a sixth round TKO of former World Champion Sharmba Mitchell on November 19, 2005, and on April 8, 2006, he would face former friend Zab Judah in a highly-anticipated grudge match that saw Mayweather cruise to an easy 12 round decision win to earn the IBF welterweight title. Not satisfied with just one belt, Mayweather finished off a stellar 2006 campaign with a 12 round near-shutout over Carlos Baldomir to add the WBC welterweight crown to his trophy case.
After Baldomir, Mayweather rose to superstar status with his aforementioned highly-decorated year in 2007. Immediately following his historic year, he stunned the entire sports world in June of 2008 when he announced that he was retiring from boxing after competing in the sport for nearly 20 years. During his hiatus from the sport, Mayweather found much needed rest by spending the majority of his time with his family while regaining his lost spirit and love for the sport, allowing him to comeback better than ever.
"My goal has always been to be one of the best fighters who ever lived, but I am only willing to do that if I am physically and mentally prepared every time I step in the ring," Mayweather said. "The break from the sport was good for me, but I returned to boxing to fight the best, and that's what I intend to do."
In 2007, Mayweather had his true coming out party, shattering every boxing (and in some Oscar de la Hoya, which broke the cases sports) earning record in the book, including his must-see May 5 mega-fight against all-time live gate and pay-per-view earnings numbers. His victory over the Golden Boy earned Mayweather a whopping $25 million from his share of the revenue generated from the 2.4 million households that purchased the fight (a gross of over $120 million).
Later that year on December 8, Mayweather fought the popular and undefeated British World Champion Ricky Hatton, scoring a 10th round knockout and again earning over $25 million. Mayweather collected over $14,500 per second for his less than 28 minutes of work.
After a 21-month lay-off from the ring, Mayweather returned on September 19, 2009 and thoroughly out-boxed one of his quickest opponents in Juan Manuel Marquez, earning a unanimous decision victory, generating 1.1 million pay-per-view buys translating to nearly $60 million in revenue.
In Mayweather's last five bouts, he has generated over $500 million in revenue combined, delivering over seven million pay-per-view buys, making him the one of the highest grossing pay-per-view attractions in the history of the sport. In the nearly 150 minutes it took Mayweather to defeat De La Hoya, Hatton, Marquez, Mosley and Ortiz he earned over $140 million, securing his place on Forbes Magazine's 400 Richest People in America.
Mayweather goal to live a rich, full life outside the ring is just as important as success in the ring. He is actively involved with the lives of his four children and regularly visits with his other family members who live near him in Las Vegas.
His charities endeavors do not go unnoticed either. Mayweather regularly supports the homeless in Las Vegas, frequently showing up to distribute sandwiches and water himself. Recently he made generous donations to Susan G. Komen Las Vegas Chapter, Habitat for Humanity Las Vegas and Three Square Food Bank, all reflecting his generosity and efforts to give back to those less fortunate and in need. Mayweather is the Director of The Floyd Mayweather Jr. Foundation which was founded in 2007 with the goals of empowering and encouraging community alliances, impacting youth leadership and strengthening family foundations in the Las Vegas community.
"My desire to give is as strong as my desire to win," Mayweather said. "I know how important it is to help those who are less fortunate than me. I hope if I continue to work as hard outside of the ring as I do inside of it, I can inspire others to do the same and help out in their communities as well."
As Mayweather continues his extraordinary run, he will return to the ring on Saturday, May 5, 2012 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas as he faces WBC Super Welterweight titleholder Miguel Cotto. This bout will be a challenge for Mayweather as he will go up in weight to the 154-pound division for the first time in five years and attempt to claim Cotto's crown and notch another championship in his career.
Recent Fights
-The Perfect Plan, Perfectly Defeated
