F. Mayweather: legendary status (Photo: Facebook Reproduction Floyd Mayweather)
Boxer Floyd Mayweather insists he is not fighting for money again. Despite the more than US$300 million he will earn, this Saturday (26), in the superfight against Conor McGregor, the North American could even make history if he wins. Undefeated, with 49 victories in his professional record, “Money” could surpass the legendary Rocky Marciano, who is also 49-0 as a heavyweight.
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To reach this point, revered as the boxer with the best defensive game in history, in addition to several other records achieved since he launched as a professional, almost 21 years ago, Mayweather went through several trials. Son of Floyd Mayweather, a boxer who once fought with Sugar Ray Leonard, and nephew of Roger Mayweather, former world champion, Floyd Jr. was drawn into boxing from an early age. Before turning professional, he fought in the Golden Gloves, the biggest amateur boxing tournament in the United States, and competed in the Olympics.
Next, SUPER FIGHTS draws a kind of timeline, with the main events in the career of Floyd Mayweather, who, if not the best boxer in history, is certainly the richest.
1 – Atlanta Olympics and beginning as a professional
Nicknamed “Pretty Boy” because of the few scars on his face, Mayweather, already known for his innovative defensive techniques, began his career as an amateur, fighting in the Golden Gloves and reaching the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. In the category Featherweight (57 kg. in boxing), he reached the semifinals of the Olympic tournament, being stopped only by Serafim Todorov, from Bulgaria, after beating fighters from Kazakhstan, Armenia and Cuba.
The fight was filled with controversy, with many thinking that Floyd beat Todorov. The North American team even made a formal protest against the refereeing of the duel. However, the defeat to the Bulgarian led “Pretty Boy” to leave amateurism for good and enter the professional world – prohibited at the time for fighters who wanted to compete in the Olympics.
During his rise through the boxing division rankings, Floyd needed 17 victories to qualify for his first world title. In 1998, the American faced Genaro Hernández and won by withdrawing from his corner, becoming champion of the World Boxing Council and beginning a relationship that led him to be honored before the duel with McGregor by the organization.
After defending the titles he won in the duel with Hernández, Mayweather began to test himself in other divisions, which would become a constant in his career.
2 – The transformation from “Pretty Boy” to “Money”
Floyd is known for his “love” of money (Photo: Facebook Reproduction Floyd Mayweather)
Since the time he was seeking his first world title, Floyd was already criticized for his arrogance and the way he behaved during fights, with contempt for his opponent. In 2005, the American made his pay-per-view debut against the legendary Arturo Gatti. Before the duel, there were more provocations, with Mayweather saying that Gatti was a “beggar” and “a 6” as a boxer. Inside the ring, however, there was total destruction, with the Italian-Canadian giving up the duel after the sixth round.
After a controversy during the fight with Zab Judah, Mayweather finally faced the big name of the time in boxing: Oscar de la Hoya. The attention given to the fight made Floyd finally become the star he always dreamed of. HBO made a special series for the fight, with Mayweather shining in front of the screen, as well as a big turnaround inside the ring, when he started losing to De La Hoya, who had the advantage of strength, just like McGregor, before turning around in final rounds.
After beating De La Hoya in the biggest pay-per-view in history at the time (2,4 million), Floyd still knocked out English star Ricky Hatton before surprising the world.
3 – First retirement and return
F. Mayweather retired twice (Photo: Facebook Reproduction Floyd Mayweather)
In June 2008, with a rematch with Oscar De La Hoya scheduled, Mayweather decided to retire. In a statement sent to the press, the boxer said that he had not felt happy fighting for some time and that he only continued for a few more years for his fans. However, this decision lasted just over a year.
In September 2009, Mayweather returned to the ring as if he hadn't retired. In yet another methodical and defensive performance, Floyd gave no chance to Juan Manuel Márquez, who landed just 12% of the blows he threw towards “Money”. The phenomenon was back and pay-per-view sales proved it – the duel with Márquez sold more than 1 million packages.
4 – Problems with justice
Photo of Mayweather in prison (Youtube Reproduction)
If inside the ring, Mayweather continued to line up opponents, getting closer and closer to Rocky Marciano's record, outside of it things weren't going so well. Since 2002, the boxer had been fined and followed by the police due to attacks on women. In 2010, he was accused of beating his ex-girlfriend Josie Harris and was arrested and released on bail. However, in 2011, he was forced to serve prison time.
A year later, the boxer reported to a prison in Las Vegas, where he served two months in prison, in addition to being forced to do 100 hours of community work.
5 – Rivalry and fight with Pacquiao
F. Mayweather and M. Pacquiao pose together (Photo: Facebook Reproduction Floyd Mayweather)
For a long time, Manny Pacquiao, who followed a similar path to Floyd, but by other promoters, was seen as the antidote to the champion's defensive and methodical game. Several attempts to negotiate a superfight between the two failed.
However, on May 2, 2015, the two took action against each other in a superfight that broke practically every record in the sport, from pay-per-view sales (4,6 million) to merchandising sales. and tickets, in addition to the massive presence of celebrities from around the world.
The duel was heavily criticized by fans and experts, mainly because Mayweather managed to nullify Pacquiao's offensiveness and aggressiveness. After another beautiful defensive display, Floyd won the biggest fight of all time in boxing by unanimous decision. Until now…
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