50 Fun Facts About Floyd Mayweather

In which Michigan city was Floyd Mayweather Jr. born?

Grand Rapids saw him ruled down though nobody had hit him: defending his title there in 2001, he landed a punch with an injured hand, doubled over in pain and touched the canvas.

What surname was Mayweather given at birth?

Sinclair was the surname of his mother, Deborah: he was born Floyd Joy Sinclair and only later took the name of his father, the boxer Floyd Mayweather.

Which Hall of Famer did Mayweather's father, a welterweight contender, fight?

Sugar Ray Leonard stopped Floyd Mayweather Sr. in the tenth round in 1978, but only after the elder Mayweather had broken his hand in the eighth.

In which racing series did Mayweather launch his own team in 2022?

NASCAR Cup Series was the target: his team's No. 50 Chevrolet, driven by Kaz Grala, went straight for the sport's biggest race, the Daytona 500, as its debut.

Which amateur tournament did Mayweather win three times?

Golden Gloves titles came in 1993, 1994 and 1996, each at a heavier weight as the teenager grew from 106 pounds to 125.

Which nickname did Mayweather's amateur teammates give him?

Pretty Boy, he has said, came not from his looks but because he never finished a fight cut or bruised.

What is the name of the old-school defensive technique Mayweather is famous for?

Shoulder roll defence keeps the chin tucked behind a raised lead shoulder that blocks punches, leaving him in position to fire back quick counters.

Which medal, if any, did Mayweather win at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics?

Bronze, after a 10–9 semi-final loss so disputed that the referee first raised Mayweather's arm by mistake and an American judge resigned in protest.

Which Bulgarian beat Mayweather on a disputed decision in the 1996 Olympic semi-final?

Serafim Todorov says American promoters offered him a professional contract after that win; he turned it down, lost the final and came to regret it.

In 1996, Mayweather became the first US Olympic boxer in 20 years to beat a fighter from where?

Cuba's Lorenzo Aragón, a medal favourite, lost 12–11 to the 19-year-old in the quarter-finals; eight years later he reached the Olympic welterweight final in Athens.

Whose low blow in 2006 brought Mayweather's uncle into the ring and sparked a melee?

Zab Judah hit him low in round ten, and his uncle and trainer Roger stormed the ring; Judah's father swung at Roger, and police had to restore order before the fight went on.

Mayweather won his first world title in 1998 by stopping which super featherweight champion?

Genaro Hernández was stopped after eight rounds; when the former champion died of cancer in 2011, Mayweather quietly paid for his funeral.

In 2012, which opponent did Mayweather rank as his toughest?

Emanuel Augustus, a journeyman who never held a major world title, pushed him hard in 2000 after a seven-month layoff; Mayweather ranked him above every champion he had faced.

Which unbeaten rival did Mayweather knock down five times in their 2001 super featherweight fight?

Diego Corrales, the taller and bigger man, went down five times before the fight was stopped in the tenth round.

Mayweather's hotly disputed 2002 lightweight title win came against which Mexican?

José Luis Castillo pressed him so hard that many observers had the Mexican winning; Mayweather blamed a shoulder hurt days earlier, gave him a rematch that December and won again.

Which world leader gave Phillip N'dou a pep talk before his 2003 fight with Mayweather?

Nelson Mandela invited the South African to his office and told him to keep Mayweather outside with the jab; Mayweather replied that Mandela couldn't get in there and fight for him.

To which song was Mayweather carried to the ring on a chariot for the 2005 Arturo Gatti fight?

Another One Bites the Dust blared as he rode in past a sold-out crowd that was almost entirely Gatti's; six one-sided rounds later, Gatti's own trainer stopped the fight.

Where did Mayweather beat Arturo Gatti for his third world title?

Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall was sold out with Gatti's supporters, who saw their hero floored in round one when he turned away expecting the referee to break them.

Which promotional company did Mayweather leave in 2006 to set up Mayweather Promotions?

Top Rank's Bob Arum had offered him a career-best $8 million to fight Antonio Margarito; Mayweather instead paid $750,000 to buy out his contract and become a free agent.

Which HBO documentary series made its debut building up Mayweather's 2007 fight with Oscar De La Hoya?

24/7 followed both camps for four episodes and raised Mayweather's profile; the fight then broke boxing's all-time pay-per-view record.

How did Mayweather win the 2007 De La Hoya fight?

Split decision: De La Hoya troubled him for six rounds, then abandoned his jab and faded, and two of the three judges sided with Mayweather.

Who trained Oscar De La Hoya for the Mayweather fight after talks with Floyd Sr. fell through?

Freddie Roach got the job after Floyd Sr., De La Hoya's trainer since 2001, asked for $2 million to work against his own son and was turned down.

Mayweather's December 2007 fight with Ricky Hatton was billed under what title?

Undefeated was no boast: Mayweather came in at 38–0 and Hatton at 43–0, so one perfect record had to end that night.

Which Mayweather punch first floored Ricky Hatton in 2007?

A left hook floored him as he rushed in, and a second moments later ended the fight just as Hatton's corner threw in the towel.

Mayweather ended a 21-month layoff in 2009 against which Mexican lightweight champion?

Juan Manuel Márquez, the naturally smaller man, was owed a contract penalty when Mayweather weighed in at 146 pounds, two over the limit they had agreed.

Which opponent buckled Mayweather's knees with two right hands in round two in 2010?

Shane Mosley had him in real trouble in that second round but could not finish; Mayweather recovered and won the rest of the fight going away.

What sticking point scuppered the first Mayweather–Pacquiao negotiations in December 2009?

Olympic-style drug testing meant unannounced blood tests right up to the fight; Pacquiao would not give blood that close to it, and the bout did not happen until 2015.

Which referee was looking away when Mayweather floored Victor Ortiz after a touch of gloves in 2011?

Joe Cortez had just docked Ortiz a point and waved the pair back together; he was not watching when Mayweather's two punches landed, and the knockout stood.

What foul did Victor Ortiz commit against Mayweather moments before the controversial 2011 knockout?

A headbutt cost Ortiz a point, and he was still apologising with hugs when Mayweather, cleared to fight on, knocked him out with one second left in the round.

Which Puerto Rican champion bloodied Mayweather's nose in 2012 but lost a unanimous decision?

Miguel Cotto surrendered his title on the judges' cards; Mayweather, sentenced months earlier, began a jail term the following month and was out after two.

Mayweather's 2013 fight with Robert Guerrero was his first on which network's pay-per-view?

Showtime had just lured him from HBO, his long-time broadcaster, with a more lucrative deal; the Guerrero bout was also his first since leaving jail.

Mayweather's 2013 fight with the unbeaten Canelo Álvarez was billed under which title?

The One was fought at a 152-pound limit; Álvarez made it, then walked into the ring at an unofficial 165, fifteen heavier than Mayweather, and still lost.

What record guaranteed purse did Mayweather get for fighting Canelo Álvarez in 2013?

$41.5 million was only the guarantee: once the pay-per-view money came in, his earnings from the fight almost doubled.

Which judge scored Mayweather–Canelo a 114–114 draw and stepped away from judging days later?

C. J. Ross had also scored Timothy Bradley a winner over Manny Pacquiao the year before; four days after her drawn card she said she was taking time away from judging.

Which opponent appeared to bite Mayweather's left hand during their 2014 rematch?

Marcos Maidana was tangled with him in a clinch in round eight when Mayweather leapt away and told the referee he had been bitten; he said afterwards that his fingers had gone numb.

Mayweather's September 2014 rematch in Las Vegas was promoted under which one-word title?

Mayhem was tamer than its name: four months after nearly being upset in the first meeting, he won clearly on all three cards.

After losing to Mayweather in 2015, Manny Pacquiao revealed he had fought with which injury?

A torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder needed surgery days later; Nevada officials had refused him a painkilling shot before the fight because the injury had never been disclosed.

Which Las Vegas venue staged Mayweather vs. Pacquiao in 2015?

MGM Grand Garden Arena sold just 16,219 tickets, yet took more than three times the old record gate, set in the same building by his own fight with Canelo Álvarez.

Mayweather retired at 49–0 in September 2015 after beating which opponent?

Andre Berto was a surprise pick: Amir Khan, a front-runner for the bout, said he was disappointed to have missed out on the fight for a third time.

Whose record did Mayweather surpass by reaching 50–0 against Conor McGregor?

Rocky Marciano retired unbeaten as heavyweight champion at 49–0 in the 1950s; Mayweather passed him by stopping a mixed martial arts champion who had never boxed professionally.

Which trademark filings in 2016 hinted that Mayweather was chasing a 50th win?

TBE 50 and TMT 50, short for The Best Ever and The Money Team, were filed while he was saying on television that he was happily retired, though already in talks with broadcasters about a return.

Which unbeaten Japanese kickboxer, aged 20, did Mayweather floor three times in a 2018 New Year's Eve exhibition?

Tenshin Nasukawa did not last the first round at the Saitama Super Arena before his corner threw in the towel; Mayweather had at first denied ever agreeing to the bout.

Where was Mayweather's June 2021 exhibition with YouTuber Logan Paul staged?

Hard Rock Stadium, near Miami, saw the much larger YouTuber last all eight rounds; under the exhibition's rules no winner was announced once it went the distance.

Mayweather's November 2022 exhibition against YouTuber Deji took place in which city?

Dubai was confirmed the day after he beat a Japanese MMA fighter in another exhibition; seven weeks later Deji, KSI's younger brother, lasted into the sixth round.

Which wrestler did Mayweather knock out with brass knuckles at WrestleMania XXIV?

Big Show stood seven feet tall and boasted of weighing three times as much, yet took the ten count; WWE paid Mayweather a reported $20 million for the night.

On which TV show was Mayweather voted off in October 2007?

Dancing with the Stars paired him with professional Karina Smirnoff; they were the fourth couple voted off, and he admitted he was 'truly mad and upset' about it.

Which luxury brand made the diamond-covered 'Billionaire' watch Mayweather showed off on Instagram in 2018?

Jacob & Co. made the watch, a single piece, with Flavio Briatore's Billionaire fashion label, which gave it its name; Mayweather's reported price was $18 million.

Mayweather won world titles in five weight classes, from super featherweight up to which division?

Light middleweight, 24 pounds above where he started, came last: he took that title from Oscar De La Hoya in the 2007 fight that made him a mainstream star.

Mayweather's 26 straight wins in world title fights matched the run of which heavyweight champion?

Joe Louis won his 26 in a row as heavyweight champion from 1937 to 1949, defending the title 25 times; Mayweather's run ended only when he walked away from boxing.

Which magazine ranked Mayweather the world's highest-paid athlete of 2018, on earnings of $285 million?

Forbes credited $275 million of it to a single night, his 2017 fight with Conor McGregor; the same year he also topped its list of the highest-paid celebrities.