30 Facts About Former American Professional Boxer - Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr

Floyd Mayweather Jr., a five-division world champion, who is undefeated as a professional, widely considered to be one of the greatest boxers of all time, is an American former professional boxer from 1996 to 2015. Here are 30 interesting facts about the boxer:

1. Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. was born on February 24, 1977 in Grand Rapids, Michigan to Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Deborah Sinclair.
2. He was born into family of professional boxers. Apart from his father, his two uncles Jeff and Roger Mayweather were boxers. Roger Mayweather had won two world championships.
3. Mayweather Jr. attended Ottawa Hills High School before dropping out to take-up boxing fulltime. He was encouraged by his father and his grandmother who saw great potential in him.
4. His father was a drug dealer and his mother was addicted to drugs. When his father was serving his sentences, boxing became an outlet with his natural ability.
5. Mayweather Jr. was so obsessed with boxing that he would leave a movie or dinner, abandon friends and family to jog back home. He would often workout at 2 am for a psychological edge.
   
6. Mayweather Jr., was nicknamed ‘Pretty Boy’ as a amateur boxer with less cuts and bruise because of better defensive techniques. He recorded 84 to 6, win/loss during his amateur days.
7. He won the ‘National Golden Gloves Championship’ in 1993, 1994 and 1996. He was also the ‘National Police Athletic League Championship’ and United States Champion’ in 1995.
8. In 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, as a 19 year-old Mayweather Jr. won a bronze medal in the featherweight division. In the process he became the first U.S boxer in 20 years to record a win over a Cuban boxer.
9. Mayweather Jr. turned professional on October 11, 1996 and won his bout against Roberto Apodaca by knockout.
10. He won his first professional world title in 1998 when he won the ‘WBC Super Featherweight’ championship defeating then world no.1 Genaro Hernandez by technical knockout.
    
11. Mayweather Jr. defended his ‘WBC Super Featherweight’ title against Angel Manfredy’ with second round knockout and was awarded ‘The Ring Magazine’s Fighter of the Year’ award 1998. He became one of the youngest at 21 years to win the title.
12. In 2000 he replaced his father Mayweather Sr. with James Prince as a manager. Later in the same year he fired him as a trainer also. His uncle Roger Mayweather became his trainer with whom he had a better chemistry.
13. Mayweather Jr. defeated the hard hitting, former IBF Super Featherweight champion Diego Corrales in the fifth round by technical knockout. He dedicated this win to all the battered women of America as a mark of respect to Michelle Corrales. Corrales was facing jail time for allegedly beating his pregnant wife.
14. On May26, 2001 Mayweather Jr. experienced his first knockdown of his career in the sixth round of 12 round unanimous win over Carlos Hernandez to retain his ‘WBC Super Featherweight’ title. It was one of his toughest fights of his career.
15. He defeated WBC’s top ranked contender Jesus Chavez for defence of his eighth Super Featherweight title. He won the bout in spite of not taking food for four days before the weight-in, to remain in his weight category.
    
16. On April 20, 2002, Mayweather Jr., started competing in the lightweight category. He defeated Jose Luis Castillo in a 12 round unanimous decision to be crowned ‘WBC champion.’ He fought the bout in spite of injuring his left shoulder in a prefight training.
17. Mayweather Jr. commented ‘Nelson Mandela is a great man in America, but he can’t fight for him,’ in a response to President’s pep talk to Phillip N’dou before the fight. He out boxed and floored him in the seventh round before referee stopped the fight to retain the WBC Lightweight title.
18. On May 22, 2004 Mayweather Jr. challenged titlist DeMarcus Corley in the ‘WBC Light welterweight’ category. He defeated him on points to be ranked no.1 by the ‘USA Today’ magazine.
19. On June 25, 2005 Mayweather Jr. took on Arturo Gatti in Atlanta City, New Jersey, for the Light welterweight title. He entered the ring on chariot to the song ‘Another One Bites the Dust,’ to win the third world title in the sixth round by technical knockout.
20. On November 19, 2005, he moved up to welterweight division with a victory over Sharmba Mitchell, knocking him down in sixth round.
    
21. After a bout on April 08, 2006, his trainer Roger Mayweather was fined $200.000 and suspended for one year for entering the ring during a bout. Mayweather Jr. was hit below the belt by Zab Judah resulting in a scuffle.
22. When he defeated Carlos Baldomir on November 4, 2006 to claim both ‘WBC and IBA’ welterweight title, he earned $ 8 million for the bout.
23. His match with ‘WBC Light-middleweight titleholder Oscar De La Hoya on May 05, 2007, set many records. The bout set the record for most PPV buys with 2.7 million households and generated revenue of $120 million. Oscar De La Hoya earned $58 million for the bout, the highest for any fighter then.
24. On December 08, 2007, he returned from brief retirement to contest for ‘WBC Light welterweight title’ against Ricky Hatton. He defeated him in the tenth round and announced his retirement from boxing.
25. Mayweather Jr.’ s return from retirement bout with Juan Manuel Marques on July 18, 2009 was postponed due to rib injury received during training. Despite rescheduling the match on September 19, he failed to meet the weight limit for the bout. As a result he received lesser package for the win after 12 rounds on points.
26. The proposed bout with eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao on March 13, 2010 was called-off after a dispute over Olympic style drug testing.
27. On June 1, 2012 was sent to jail for 87 days to serve for domestic abuse. He was release after two months.
28. His much awaited match with Manny Pacquiao took place on May 02, 2015 after many years of negotiation. The match failed to live up to expectation and he won on points. On July 06, 2015 he stripped the ‘WBO’ title on technical grounds.
29. Mayweather Jr. announced his retirement after his victory over Andre Berto on September 12, 2015. He was undefeated in 49 bouts with 26 knockouts.
30. He lives in a 22,000 square foot custom built mansion and owns a boxing gym called ‘Mayweather Boxing Club,’ in Chinatown plaza, Las Vegas.