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Who is born Floyd Sinclair? The boxing world knows him as Floyd Joy Mayweather, Jr, he is an American professional boxer.[1] He is a five-division world champion, who has won eight world titles and the Lineal championship in three different weight classes. Mayweather is a two-time Ring Fighter of the Year (winning the award in 1998 and 2007); he also won the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) Fighter of the Year award in 2007 and the Best Fighter ESPY Award in 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012.[2] He is undefeated as a professional boxer.[3]
Mayweather is the WBC welterweight champion,[4] WBA (Super) light middleweight champion[5] and recipient of the WBC diamond belt.[6] He is also rated as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world by many sporting news and boxing websites, including Sports Illustrated, ESPN, BoxRec, Fox Sports, and Yahoo! Sports.[7][8][9][10][11] Mayweather topped the Forbes and Sports Illustrated lists of the 50 highest-paid athletes of 2012.[12][13][14]Early life
Mayweather was born February 24, 1977 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States into a family of boxers. His father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., was a former welterweight contender who fought Hall of Famer Sugar Ray Leonard. His uncles (Jeff Mayweather and Roger Mayweather)
were professional boxers, with Roger – Floyd’s current trainer –
winning two world championships. Mayweather was born with his mother's
last name,[15] but his last name would change to Mayweather shortly thereafter.Boxing has been a part of Mayweather's life since his childhood, and he never seriously considered any other profession. "I think my grandmother saw my potential first", Mayweather said. "When I was young, I told her 'I think I should get a job'. She said, 'No, just keep boxing'".[16] "When I was about eight or nine, I lived in New Jersey with my mother and we were seven deep in one bedroom and sometimes we didn't have electricity", Mayweather said. "When people see what I have now, they have no idea of where I came from and how I didn't have anything growing up".
It was not uncommon for young Mayweather to come home from school and find used heroin needles in his front yard.[citation needed] His mother was also addicted to drugs, and he had an aunt who died from AIDS because of her drug use. "People don't know the hell I've been through", he says.
The most time that his father spent with him was taking him to the gym to train and work on his boxing, according to Mayweather. "I don't remember him ever taking me anywhere or doing anything that a father would do with a son, going to the park or to the movies or to get ice cream", he says. "I always thought that he liked his daughter (Floyd's older stepsister) better than he liked me because she never got whippings and I got whippings all the time".
Mayweather's father contends that Floyd is not telling the truth about their early relationship. "Even though his daddy did sell drugs, I didn't deprive my son", the elder Mayweather says. "The drugs I sold, he was a part of it. He had plenty of food. He had the best clothes and I gave him money. He didn't want for anything. Anybody in Grand Rapids can tell you that I took care of my kids".[17] Floyd senior says he did all of his hustling at night and spent his days with his son, taking him to the gym and training him to be a boxer. "If it wasn't for me he wouldn't be where he is today", he maintains.
"I basically raised myself," Mayweather says. "My grandmother did what she could. When she got mad at me I'd go to my mom's house. My life was ups and downs". His father says he knows how much pain his incarceration caused his son, but insists he did the best he could. "I sent him to live with his grandmother", he says. "It wasn't like I left him with strangers".
Boxing became Mayweather's outlet – a way to deal with his father's absence. As the elder Mayweather served his time his son – with speed and an uncanny ring sense – put all his energies into boxing, dropping out of high school. "I knew that I was going to have to try to take care of my mom and I made the decision that school wasn't that important at the time and I was going to have to box to earn a living", Mayweather says.[17]
Amateur career and Olympics
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Mayweather had an amateur record of 84–6[18] and won national Golden Gloves championships in 1993 (at 106 lb), 1994 (at 114 lb) and 1996 (at 125 lb).[19] He was nicknamed "Pretty Boy" by his amateur teammates because he had relatively few scars, a result of the defensive techniques that his father and uncle (Roger Mayweather) had taught him.[20]
In his orthodox defensive stance Mayweather often utilizes the
"shoulder roll", an old-school boxing technique in which the right hand
is held normally (or slightly higher than normal), the left hand is down
around the midsection and the lead shoulder is raised high on the cheek in order to cover the chin and block punches. The right hand (as in the orthodox stance) is used as it normally would be: to block punches coming from the other side, such as left hooks.
From this stance Mayweather blocks, slips and deflects most of his
opponents' punches (even when cornered) by twisting left and right to
the rhythm of their punches.[21]At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Mayweather won a bronze medal by reaching the semi-finals of the featherweight (57-kg)[22] division.
In the opening round Mayweather led 10–1 on points over Bakhtiyar Tileganov of Kazakhstan, before winning when the fight was stopped. In the second round, Mayweather outpointed Artur Gevorgyan of Armenia 16–3. In the quarterfinals, the 19-year-old Mayweather narrowly defeated 22-year-old Lorenzo Aragon of Cuba in an all-action bout to win 12–11, becoming the first U.S boxer to defeat a Cuban in 20 years.[23] The last time this occurred was the 1976 Summer Olympics, when the U.S Olympic boxing team captured five gold medals; among the recipients was Sugar Ray Leonard. In his semifinal bout against eventual silver medalist Serafim Todorov of Bulgaria, Mayweather lost by a controversial decision (similar to the Roy Jones Jr. decision).[24] Referee Hamad Hafaz Shouman of Egypt mistakenly raised Mayweather's hand (thinking he had won), while the decision was announced giving the bout to the Bulgarian.[25]
The U.S. team filed a protest over the Mayweather bout, claiming the judges were intimidated by Bulgaria's Emil Jetchev (head of the boxing officials) into favoring the Bulgarian Todorov by a 10–9 decision in the 125-pound semifinal bout. Three of Jetchev's countrymen were in gold medal bouts. Judge Bill Waeckerle (one of the four U.S judges working the games for the International Amateur Boxing Federation) resigned as Olympic Games and federation judge after Mayweather lost the decision, which was loudly booed by the crowd at the Alexander Memorial Coliseum.[26][27] "I refuse to be part of an organisation that continues to conduct its officiating in this manner", Waeckerle wrote in his letter of resignation to federation president Anwar Chowdhry.[28]
In the official protest U.S. team manager Gerald Smith said Mayweather landed punches that were not counted, while Todorov was awarded points without landing a punch.[29] "The judging was totally incompetent", Waeckerle said. The judges failed to impose a mandatory two-point deduction against Todorov after he was warned five times by the referee for slapping.[25] "Everybody knows Floyd Mayweather is the gold-medal favorite at 57 kilograms", Mayweather said afterward. "In America, it's known as 125 pounds. You know and I know I wasn't getting hit. They say he's the world champion. Now you all know who the real world champion is".[29]
Featherweight Olympic qualification
- Defeated William Jenkins RSC/TKO-3
- Defeated James Baker RSCH/TKO-1
- Lost to Augie Sanchez PTS (11–12)
- Defeated Carlos Navarro PTS (31–11)
- Defeated Augie Sanchez PTS (12–8) in the box-offs
- Defeated Augie Sanchez PTS (20–10) in the box-offs
- Defeated Bakhtiyar Tileganov (Kazakhstan) RSCI/TKO-2
- Defeated Artur Gevorgyan (Armenia) PTS (16–3)
- Defeated Lorenzo Aragon (Cuba) PTS (12–11)
- Lost to Serafim Todorov (Bulgaria) PTS (9–10)*
- *Decision was protested unsuccessfully by the U.S. team
Professional career
Super featherweight
Mayweather fought his first professional bout on October 11, 1996
against fellow newcomer Roberto Apodaca, who was knocked out in round
two. Mayweather's trainer at the time was his uncle, Roger Mayweather;
his father was still imprisoned after his conviction for illegal drug trafficking
in 1993. The latter took over as his son's trainer when he was released
from prison (after Mayweather, Jr.'s 14th fight—a second-round knockout
of Sam Girard).[30] From 1996 to early 1998, Mayweather won most of his fights by knockout or TKO.Early in his pro-career, Mayweather received praise from all corners of the boxing world and was touted as a pugilistic prodigy.[31] During his fight with Tony Duran[32] the ESPN commentator remarked, "(IBHOF & WBHF trainer) Emmanuel Steward was quoted as saying there have been very few who have been more talented than this kid. He will probably win two or three world championships; I think he will go on to be the best ever".[33] IBHOF trainer and commentator Gil Clancy commented before Mayweather's ninth professional fight (against Jesus Chavez), "I thought that Floyd Mayweather was the outstanding pro prospect in the entire Olympic games".[34]
With Genaro Hernández
In 1998, within two years of entering professional boxing, Mayweather decisively won his first world title (the WBC super featherweight [130 lb] championship) with an eighth-round technical knockout of The Ring world #1-ranked super featherweight Genaro Hernández after his opponent's cornerman stopped the fight. It was Hernández' first defeat in that weight class; he said after the fight, "He defeated me, he is quick, smart and I always knew he had the speed. I give him respect. He is a true champ".[35]With Mayweather's win he became lineal champion of the division; Genaro Hernández had previously beaten Azumah Nelson, whose dominance of the super-featherweight division had prompted boxing publications to give him the vacant lineal championship.[36][37] The Ring stopped awarding belts to world champions in the 1990s, but began again in 2002.[38] Nelson won his lineal status during the 1990s; therefore, The Ring's vacant title was not awarded to him, Hernández or Mayweather (although Mayweather was The Ring's #1-ranked super featherweight).
Mayweather became the first 1996 U.S. Olympian to win a world title.[39] Following his victory Mayweather's promoter Bob Arum said, "We believe in our heart of hearts that Floyd Mayweather is the successor in a line that starts with Ray Robinson, goes to Muhammad Ali, then Sugar Ray Leonard...We believe that he epitomizes that style of fighting".[40] After capturing the title Mayweather defended it against contender Angel Manfredy with a TKO in round two, giving Manfredy his first defeat in four years.[41]
By the end of 1998 Mayweather was ranked by the The Ring as the #8-ranked pound-for-pound best boxer in the world,[42] and became one of the youngest recipients of The Ring's Fighter of the Year award (21, the same age Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali were when winning their first awards).[43][44] In 1999, Mayweather continued his domination of the super featherweight division by defending his title three more times. The second defense of his title was against the Argentine Carlos Rios, which he won in a unanimous decision. Mayweather, fighting past the eighth round for only the third time in his career, won on the judges' scoring 120–110, 119–108 and 120–109.[45] Mayweather's third title defense was against Justin Juuko, which he won in a ninth-round knockout. Juuko could not beat the count of 10 by referee Mitch Halpern, and the fight ended in Mayweather's favor 80 seconds into the round.[46] His final title defense in 1999 was against Carlos Gerena, with Mayweather winning in a seventh-round referee technical decision (RTD). Mayweather said after the fight, "I want to show the world that along with Oscar De La Hoya and Roy Jones, Jr., I'm the best fighter in the world".[47] This dominance did not go unnoticed in the boxing world; by the end of the year, the 22-year-old Mayweather was ranked The Ring's #2 pound-for-pound best boxer in the world (behind Roy Jones, Jr.).[42]
Before making the fifth successful defense of his title against former WBC Featherweight Champion Gregorio Vargas in early 2000, Mayweather fired his father as his manager and replaced him with James Prince. A few months after the fight, the rift between father and son grew when Mayweather also fired the elder Mayweather as his trainer.[48] In a 2004 interview Mayweather said that although he loves his father, he had a better chemistry with Roger because his father had put too much pressure on him to be perfect.[49] Mayweather, in his fifth title defense, won a near-shutout over "Goyo" Vargas in Las Vegas. During the 10th round, when Mayweather overheard HBO announcer Jim Lampley say that the champ had switched to a southpaw stance for the second time in the bout he leaned ringside and said "It was the third time". After a six-month layoff, Mayweather was still elusive. During the sixth round, Mayweather dropped Vargas with a hook to the ribs[50] and cruised to a unanimous decision.
Roger Mayweather returned to his role as his nephew's trainer for his next bout; a non-title lightweight fight against Emanuel Burton, which Mayweather won in a ninth-round technical knockout.
With Diego Corrales
In one of the more definitive and memorable fights of his career Mayweather fought the hard-hitting, former IBF super-featherweight champion Diego Corrales (33–0, with 27 KOs). Coming into the bout Mayweather and Corrales were undefeated, and neither fighter had touched the canvas. Mayweather was The Ring's #2-ranked super featherweight in the world (and #7 pound-for-pound), while Corrales was the #1-ranked super featherweight in the world and #5 pound-for-pound.[42][51] Before the fight was announced Mayweather had stated he wanted to fight Corrales, who was facing jail time for allegedly beating his pregnant wife. "I want Diego because I'm doing it for all the battered women across America", Mayweather said. "Just like he beat that woman, I'm going to beat him".[52] While both fighters were the same age (23), Corrales had several physical advantages over Mayweather: two inches in height, an inch in reach and (despite both arriving at the official weight-in at the 130-lb super-featherweight limit) unofficially 146 lbs, versus Mayweather's 136½ lbs.[53] In the bout, Mayweather won every round and knocked down Corrales five times (three times in round 7 and twice in round 10). After the fifth knockdown, Corrales' cornermen climbed onto the apron and stopped the fight, thereby establishing Mayweather as a claimant to boxing's mythical pound-for-pound title. At the time of the stoppage Mayweather was ahead on the scorecards, leading by 89–79, 90–79 and 90–78.[54] Throughout the fight, HBO commentators analyzed Mayweather. Larry Merchant stated, "Mayweather fights in a tradition of boxing and quick handedness that goes back in Michigan, all the way to fighters like Sugar Ray Robinson". Harold Lederman remarked, "Jim (Lampley), I gotta tell ya, I'm terribly impressed, I don't think I've seen an exhibition of boxing like this since Willie Pep, this kid is unbelievable, great legs, great speed, unbelievable ring-generalship. I mean he's got tremendous presence in that ring, Floyd Mayweather knows where he is, every minute of this fight..."Corrales landed 60 of 205 punches, and landed no more than nine punches in a single round. Mayweather landed 220 of 414 punches.[55] Corrales was unable to land any clean shots, as he stalked Mayweather through the early rounds. He landed an average of six punches a round, according to Compubox stats – the only time that a fighter has registered single digits in the 20 years CompuBox has been tracking punch statistics.[56]
After the fight Mayweather remarked, "I would like to fight Prince Naseem [Hamed], hopefully we can meet at 128 (Lbs) or he can come up to 130 (Lbs), we can fight or I can fight the winner of Casamayor..." "Prince Naseem isn't going to fight you," intervened HBO commentator Larry Merchant; "after he saw this, it ain't gonna happen". "I really want to fight Prince Naseem..." Mayweather continued, "but hopefully I can face the winner of Casamayor (vs.) Freites".[57] Although neither fight materialised, Mayweather's opponent Diego Corrales would later hand Freites (the winner of the Casamayor vs. Freites fight) his first professional defeat and defeat Casamayor in a rematch of their first bout. Afterwards, Arum was ecstatic about his new star. "Better than Sugar Ray Leonard", he asserted. "And did you see him at those press conferences...?"[58]
The fight was met with acclaim in the boxing world and sports in general. CBS said, "Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s speed was dazzling. His power was unexpected"[55] and the BBC reported on "... a near flawless performance...".[59] The New York Daily News reported that "Floyd Mayweather Jr., displaying blazing speed and punishing power..."[56] and Sports Illustrated reported "... a fistic masterpiece".[60]
On October 10, 2001, boxing trainer Eddie Futch died at age 90. Tim Smith of the New York Daily News remembered an encounter with the trainer in an article. "One of the last times I saw Futch was before the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Diego Corrales junior lightweight title bout in Vegas. Futch was talking about how much he admired Mayweather's style, how Mayweather was such a beautiful boxer, able to slip along the ropes and avoid punches. Corrales said he was going to neutralize Mayweather's hand speed by hitting Mayweather on the arms. 'I guess he thinks he's going to stand there and let him hit him on the arms all night,' said Futch, who correctly predicted that Mayweather would completely dismantle Corrales in a defensive masterpiece. Futch had a way of cutting to the heart of a matter. I don't know anyone in boxing who won't miss him. I don't know anyone in boxing that can take his place".[61]
On May 26, 2001 Floyd Mayweather, fighting in his hometown of Grand Rapids, pounded out a 12-round unanimous decision over future IBF super featherweight titleholder Carlos Hernández to retain his WBC super-featherweight title. Calling it "one of the toughest nights of my career", the 130-pound champion overcame injuries in both hands to improve his record to 26–0. "He is a very, very tough fighter", Mayweather said of the challenger, whose record fell to 33–3–1. "I'm disappointed in my performance." Mayweather suffered the first knockdown of his career when he hit Hernández with a left hook in round six, which caused him sufficient pain that he dropped his injured left hand to the canvas. He wasn't hit, but was given a standing eight-count by the referee.[62]
Mayweather's last fight in the super-featherweight division was against future super featherweight and lightweight titleholder Jesús Chávez. Chávez was the WBC's top-ranked contender[63] and came into the fight with a 31-bout winning streak. This was Mayweather's eighth defense of the WBC super-featherweight title, which he had held for more than three years. He won when Chávez's corner stopped the fight after round nine. Mayweather had such difficulty making weight for this fight that he did not eat for four days before the weigh-in.[64] Chávez stated after the fight, "He's [Mayweather] the champ! And now I become his number-one fan".[65]
Mayweather commented after the fight, "Although it will take some time to make the match, I want to fight Kostya Tszyu".[66] Tszyu, an Australian-based Russian, by then had established himself as the best light welterweight in the world. Mayweather did not get a chance to fight Tszyu, but went on to fight Ricky Hatton (who defeated Tszyu and won his Ring light welterweight championship. By the end of 2001, Mayweather was still ranked The Ring #1 super featherweight and #5 best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.[67]
Lightweight
With José Luis Castillo (I)
In his first fight as a lightweight, Mayweather took on World Boxing Council (WBC) champion and The Ring #1-ranked lightweight José Luis Castillo. Despite both fighters officially meeting the 135-lb lightweight limit, Mayweather came to the ring weighting unofficially 138½ lbs to Castillo's 147½ lbs. He defeated Castillo, winning the WBC and vacant Ring lightweight titles with a 12-round unanimous decision at the MGM Grand Garden Arena before a crowd of 6,920. With Mayweather's win, he became the first Ring lightweight champion since Pernell Whitaker.[citation needed] Judges Jerry Roth and John Keane scored it 115–111 and judge Anek Hongtongkam scored it 116–111, a decision that was loudly booed by the pro-Castillo crowd. The Associated Press had Mayweather winning, 115–111;[68] the New York Daily News scorecard also had Mayweather winning, 116–112.[69]Castillo (45–5–1, 41 KOs) could not touch Mayweather in the first round, with Castillo throwing 27 punches and landing only three. After round one Larry Merchant pointed out, "Mayweather made a comment in the corner about his left shoulder. We'll see if something's wrong with it, he seems to be rotating it, trying to keep it loose". George Foreman noted likewise, adding "'Massage my left shoulder', he [Mayweather] said, that's not a good sign".[70]
In the first minute of the second round Castillo went down on a shot by Mayweather, which was ruled a slip by the referee. Later in the fight Harold Lederman alluded to it, saying "By the way, that knockdown in the second round [is] extremely questionable, I thought Floyd did throw a left hook and this guy [Castillo] went down at the end of the hook but what you going to do, it's a judgement call by the referee, so it doesn't go as a 10–8 round..."[70] Drakulich took a point from Castillo for hitting on the break in the eighth round after several warnings throughout the fight. With Castillo repeatedly hitting on the break, this led to a large number of his punches landing. George Foreman agreed with the decision ("That's what you want a referee to do"), although his counterpart Larry Merchant had an alternative view: "I think this referee has been altogether too involved in the fight. Too officious".[71] Drakulich struck again in the ninth round, this time taking a point away from Mayweather for using his elbows. Mayweather won the fight by using his jab effectively and staying away from Castillo for much of the fight.[72] Having injured his left shoulder on the last day of training, he changed to a southpaw stance on several occasions to throw more right-handed punches.
At the end of the fight, Harold Lederman had Castillo winning 115–111. ESPN's Max Kellerman disputed Lederman's scoring, writing in his boxing column: "Harold Lederman, the (HBO) unofficial ringside television judge, gave the third round to Castillo, which I think demonstrates that Mayweather suffers from the same scoring syndrome that afflicted Pernell Whitaker. Mayweather is so seldom hit cleanly in his face, that when a clean shot is landed against him it registers all out of proportion in the observer's mind. Meanwhile, the three clean shots Mayweather just landed against his opponent do not make the same kind of impression".[73]
Compubox statistics indicated that Castillo landed more overall punches and significantly more power shots over the course of the fight; however, these statistics did not accurately reflect the judging (rounds are scored in isolation). Mayweather also outscored Castillo in jabs thrown and landed. Lederman's scoring for this fight may be seen as inconsistent; in both Bernard Hopkins vs. Jermain Taylor fights Lederman had Taylor winning 115–113, despite Hopkins landing more overall punches and significantly more power shots during both fights.[74][75] Taylor threw and landed more jabs, however.
In the post-fight interview Mayweather said, "My last training day, I hurt my rotator cuff in my left shoulder, so I couldn’t use my jab the way I want to. My left wasn’t as strong as I wanted it to be, but I didn’t want to have no excuses, you know, like other champions, you know, when they get hurt they won’t even show up to the fight. I get hurt I keep fighting, you know, I want to bring the fans a victory".
Rematch with Castillo
Due to the closeness of their first bout, Mayweather accepted an immediate rematch with Castillo which took place on December 7, 2002. Before the rematch, Mayweather reiterated that he had torn his left rotator cuff two days before the first fight and could not throw a jab or a left hook. He had surgery following the controversial decision over Castillo, and said his shoulder had fully healed.[76]The smaller Mayweather was again outweighed by Castillo on the night of the fight; Castillo weighed 147 lbs, to Mayweather's 138.[77] In the rematch Mayweather used his footwork, combinations and jab to earn another unanimous decision. There were no knockdowns or notable exchanges in the fight; the judgment was close, with Mayweather winning 115–113 on two scorecards and 116–113 on a third. The Associated Press had Mayweather winning 116–112;[77] HBO unofficial scorer Harold Lederman and fellow analyst Larry Merchant both scored it 115–113 for Mayweather.[78]
Other lightweight fights
On April 19, 2003 Mayweather defended his WBC lightweight title in a unanimous decision over Dominican Victoriano Sosa. Mayweather (30–0) fought a tactically-sound 12-round bout against an aggressive Sosa (35–3–2). His next fight (on November 1) was in his hometown of Grand Rapids against WBC #1-ranked contender Phillip N'dou, whose record was 31–1 with 30 KOs. During the run-up to the fight Nelson Mandela invited N'dou to his office for a pep talk before his departure for the U.S., advising him to "keep Mayweather on the outside with the jab, work the body and the head will become available". South African president Thabo Mbeki, in a note, said he had "full confidence" N'dou would put on a performance to make all South Africans proud and would return home with the WBC belt. When told of his opponent's high-level support Mayweather responded, "Nelson Mandela's a great man, he's big in America, but Mandela can't get in there and fight for him".[79]In the fifth round, Mayweather connected with a series of straight rights and lefts; when N'dou would not go down, Mayweather gave a little smile and continued the barrage. He dominated his opponent, before flooring him with a series of rights in the seventh round. N'dou got up on shaky legs, forcing a stoppage at 1:50. At times during the fight, Mayweather (in black trunks outlined with fur) seemed to toy with Ndou.[80] By the end of 2003, Mayweather was still The Ring's lightweight champion and the #5-ranked best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.[67]
Light welterweight
Mayweather, at 27, made his 140-pound debut by defeating former titlist DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley, knocking him down twice officially in rounds eight and ten and scoring a decision of 119–108 (twice) and 119–107. The fight was billed as a WBC elimination bout, with the winner earning a shot at 140-pound champion Arturo Gatti.[81] "Mayweather can flat-out fight", Corley's trainer Don Turner said. "He's like magic. He makes you move into the punches."[81] Shortly after this fight Mayeather would reach #1 on the USA TODAY pound-for-pound rankings, with middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins at #2.[82]On January 22, 2005 Mayweather fought Henry Bruseles in another WBC elimination bout, outclassing Bruseles throughout the first seven rounds. In round eight, Mayweather knocked Bruseles down twice and the fight was stopped. Mayweather's victory made him the mandatory challenger for Gatti's WBC light welterweight championship.
With Arturo Gatti
The pay-per-view fight between Mayweather and The Ring #1-ranked contender Arturo Gatti took place June 25, 2005 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where fans heavily supported Gatti. Before the fight Mayweather was confident, describing Gatti as "a C+ fighter," "a fake" and "a blown-up club fighter".[83] Near the end of round one, Mayweather pushed Gatti's head down in close; Gatti broke, leaving himself vulnerable while Mayweather continued landing punches. Gatti turned to the referee to complain; Mayweather capitalised, sending Gatti to the canvas with more shots for what was scored a knockdown.[84] Throughout the next five rounds, the quicker Mayweather landed nearly every shot against Gatti, who had no offense with which to return fire. Gatti's corner stopped the fight after round six, giving Mayweather his third world title.In the post-fight interview Mayweather praised Gatti, claiming that his pre-fight comments "were just to sell tickets". To many boxing experts, Mayweather's dominance of Gatti solidified his position as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.[85] Compubox had Mayweather out-landing Gatti 168–41,[86] with Gatti landing only 10 power punches (anything other that a jab).[87] Mayweather's fight with Gatti would be his last in the light-welterweight division; he would leave as The Ring #1-ranked contender, with Ricky Hatton as light-welterweight champion.
Welterweight
After his fight with Gatti, Mayweather moved up to the welterweight division. On November 19, 2005, Mayweather fought a non-title bout at 147 lb (67 kg) against welterweight Sharmba Mitchell. In round three, Mayweather knocked Mitchell down with a straight right hand to the head. In round six another straight right hand—this one to Mitchell's body—dropped Mitchell again, ending the fight.With Zab Judah
Main article: Floyd Mayweather vs. Zab Judah
On April 8, 2006, Mayweather defeated Zab Judah for the IBF welterweight title in a unanimous decision. Plans for the fight had been jeopardized after Judah lost the WBA, WBC and The Ring Welterweight titles to Carlos Manuel Baldomir on January 7, 2006; however, Mayweather's and Judah's camps reworked the contract and decided that the fight would go on.[88]
During the bout, Mayweather stayed calm during Judah's aggressive early
rounds. He began to dominate Judah in round five, and the latter
eventually bled. Late in the tenth round Judah hit Mayweather with a
left hand that was clearly below the belt, following with a right-handed rabbit punch. Referee Richard Steele called time out with five seconds remaining in the round. Roger Mayweather entered the ring and approached Judah, but Steele restrained him; Judah's father (and trainer), Yoel Judah,
entered the ring as well. Mayweather remained in the neutral corner
while the Judahs scuffled with Roger (and others who had entered the
ring), until police and security restored order. Roger was ejected, and
the fight continued for the scheduled 12 rounds. Mayweather won by
official scores of 116–112, 117–111 and 119–109. Compubox statistics showed him landing 188 punches, compared with 82 for Judah.[89]Five days after the fight, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) decided not to overturn the result of the bout; however, Roger Mayweather was fined $200,000 and suspended for one year.[90] The suspension stipulated that Roger could train Mayweather in the gym, but could not work the corner during fights.[91] On April 17, 2006, the IBF ordered a rematch between Mayweather and Judah; however, the NSAC suspended Judah for one year on May 8[92] and Mayweather vacated the IBF title on June 20.
After his fight with Judah it was reported that Mayweather rejected an $8 million offer to fight Antonio Margarito, citing his split with promoter Bob Arum as the reason.[93] Oscar De la Hoya postponed his decision until 2007, leaving Mayweather to choose his next opponent.[94] Mayweather considered moving up in weight again to fight light middleweight champion Cory Spinks, but because of negative publicity and Spinks' impending mandatory defense of his title he decided instead to face WBC and The Ring welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir on November 4, 2006 in Las Vegas.[95]
Despite having not lost in over eight years, Baldomir was an underdog in the fight. Mayweather defeated him for both titles in a unanimous decision. Ringside punch statistics showed Mayweather landing 199 of 458 punches, while Baldomir landed 79 of 670. Mayweather earned $8 million for the fight; Baldomir was paid $1.6 million, career earnings highs for each fighter at the time.
During the fight Baldomir chased Mayweather, unable to land any meaningful shots but trying to be the busier fighter; Mayweather picked away with sharp jabs and hooks, cutting Baldomir over his left eye in the first round. This pattern continued throughout the fight; the defensive-minded Mayweather put on what many witnesses (and Mayweather himself) called a "boxing clinic" to take Baldomir's WBC and The Ring welterweight titles in a lopsided 12-round decision. Two judges had Mayweather winning all 12 rounds, with the third giving all but two rounds to Mayweather. After the fight, Mayweather proposed a match with Oscar De La Hoya.
With Mayweather's win, he became the first fighter since Roberto Durán to have captured The Ring titles in both the lightweight and welterweight divisions.[citation needed] He also captured his third lineal championship in as many weight classes (super featherweight, lightweight and welterweight), following in the footsteps of Henry Armstrong and Sugar Ray Leonard.
Light middleweight
With Oscar De La Hoya
Main article: Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather
Mayweather's next match was the long-anticipated fight against
six-division champion and WBC light-middleweight titleholder Oscar De La
Hoya on May 5, 2007. De La Hoya's belt was on the line, which required
Mayweather to move up in weight from 147 pounds to 154. However,
Mayweather was outweighed by more than 10 pounds the night of the fight,
coming in at only 150 pounds. Despite De La Hoya's insistence that
money was not a factor, the Mayweather-De La Hoya bout set the record
for most PPV buys for a boxing match with 2.7 million households,
breaking the previous record of 1.95 million for Evander Holyfield-Mike Tyson II.
About $120 million in revenue was generated by the PPV, another record.
Including percentages De La Hoya earned $58 million for the bout, the
highest purse ever for a fighter; the previous record was $35 million,
held by Tyson and Holyfield. Mayweather earned about $25 million for the
fight.[96]At one time, Floyd Mayweather, Sr. negotiated to train Oscar De La Hoya and be in his corner during the fight, but De La Hoya decided to train with Freddie Roach. Mayweather won the fight by a split decision in 12 rounds, capturing the WBC title. However, many analysts and ringside observers felt Mayweather should have received a unanimous decision. During the early rounds De La Hoya had some success cutting off the ring, attempting to pound Mayweather on the inside. Despite his activity on the inside, however, many of De La Hoya's punches were ineffective and landed on Mayweather's arms or shoulders. By the middle of the fight, it was seen as an even bout by the announcers. Mayweather turned the tide in the middle and late rounds, often hitting De La Hoya at will. Official scorecards read 116–112 (Mayweather), 115–113 (Mayweather) and 115–113 (De La Hoya). Compubox had Mayweather out-landing De La Hoya 207–122 in total punches and 134–82 in power punches, with better accuracy throughout the fight. After the bout Mayweather contemplated retirement, saying he had nothing left to prove in the boxing world.
Return to welterweight
After his fight with De La Hoya Mayweather decided to relinquish his WBC light-middleweight championship,[97]
retaining his welterweight title. On July 28, 2007, it was announced
that Mayweather would come out of his brief retirement to fight The Ring light welterweight champion Ricky Hatton; the bout was promoted by De La Hoya's promotion company (Golden Boy Promotions) and Mayweather's Mayweather Promotions. The fight was entitled "Undefeated"; it took place December 8, 2007 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas,
Nevada, the biggest welterweight showdown between two undefeated
fighters since De La Hoya met Félix Trinidad in 1999. During the run-up
to their fight Mayweather claimed he was the greatest boxer ever: "I
respect what Robinson and Ali did for the sport. But I am the greatest and this is my time."Mayweather controlled the fight from the beginning, knocking Hatton out in the 10th round to retain the welterweight championship.[98] Hatton suffered a cut over his right eye in round three; from that point, his pace and movement began to slow. In round six, Hatton lost a point for punching the back of Mayweather's head as he was draped over the ropes. During the tenth round, Hatton was caught by a checked left hook thrown from Mayweather's hip; after falling headfirst into the turnbuckle, he hit the floor. Hatton made it to his feet, but was dazed. Two more lefts in quick succession knocked Hatton down again, and referee Cortez stopped the fight at 1:35 of round ten.[99] Official scorecards read 88–82, 89–81 and 89–81 at the time of stoppage, all in favor of Mayweather.
After the fight, Mayweather said that Hatton was one of his toughest, most tenacious opponents. Mayweather announced his retirement from boxing to concentrate on his promotional company, saying he wanted Hatton to be his first client.[100]
Comeback
With Juan Manuel Marquez
Main article: Floyd Mayweather vs. Juan Manuel Marquez
On May 2, 2009, it was confirmed that Mayweather was coming out of a 21-month retirement to fight The Ring lightweight champion and #2 pound-for-pound Juan Manuel Márquez, at a catch weight of 144 lb on July 18 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on HBO PPV.[101] The fight was postponed due to a rib injury Mayweather received during training. HBO's sports series 24/7 was also rescheduled for August 29. The fight took place on September 19 in conjunction with Mexican Independence Day,
traditionally a big boxing weekend. During the official weigh-in for
their 144 lb bout, Mayweather failed to meet the weight limit at 146 lb
and was fined as a result.[102]
However, it was later revealed that the contract was changed so that
Mayweather could make weight within the welterweight limit of 140–147 lb
as long as Marquez received a large guarantee.[103]
Mayweather won a unanimous decision after 12 rounds in a lopsided
fight; scorecards read 120–107, 119–108 and 118–109. Marquez landed 12
percent of his total 583 punches, while Mayweather landed 59 percent of
his 490 total punches.[104] This fight marked only the fifth time in boxing history that a non-heavyweight
fight sold more than 1 million pay-per-view households, with HBO
generating a revenue of approximately $52 million. Four of the other
fights featured Oscar De La Hoya as the main event, making this fight
the one of two events where a non-heavyweight fight sold over 1 million
PPVs without Oscar De La Hoya. The other fight was Manny Pacquiao versus Miguel Cotto, which sold 1.25 million PPVs.[105]With Shane Mosley
Main article: Floyd Mayweather vs. Shane Mosley
Negotiations for a proposed match between Mayweather and The Ring #3 pound-for-pound Shane Mosley began right after Andre Berto pulled out of his scheduled January 30 unification bout with Mosley due to the 2010 Haiti earthquake.[106] Both sides eventually agreed to fight on May 1, 2010 for Mosley's WBA super-welterweight
title. It was later revealed that Mayweather refused to pay sanctioning
fees required by the WBA, saying "All belts do is collect dust".
However, the belt was only on the line for Mosley to defend against
Mayweather.[107] Both Mayweather and Mosley agreed to Olympic-style testing for this bout.[108][109]
Mosley started the fight well, landing two solid right hands in round
two which caused Mayweather's knees to buckle. Mayweather recovered well
and went on to dominate the remainder of the fight, out-boxing Mosley
and showing more aggression than in his previous recent fights.
Mayweather eventually won a unanimous decision, with the judges scoring
the fight 119–109, 119–109 and 118–110. In round four Compubox found
Mosley throwing seven power punches without taking any, making
Mayweather the second boxer (after Roy Jones, Jr.) to go an entire round
without being hit by a power punch. After the fight, president of
Golden Boy Promotions Oscar De La Hoya stated that he believed
Mayweather was the best in the game.[110]The fight was the second-bestselling non-heavyweight pay-per-view bout in boxing history, with 1.4 million purchases. HBO reported that the fight generated $78.3 million in revenue. After the bout Mayweather expressed interest in moving up in weight to capture a world title in six different weight classes, and to challenge newly-crowned middleweight champion Sergio Martinez.[111]
Negotiations with Manny Pacquiao
Seven-division world champion Manny Pacquiao reportedly agreed to fight Mayweather on March 13, 2010 for a split of $50 million.[112] However, the fight was canceled due to disagreements about Olympic-style drug tests. Mayweather's camp wanted blood tests by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, which would conduct random tests from training until the fight date.[113] The Pacquiao camp refused to provide samples, only willing to allow blood to be taken if the test were scheduled. Pacquiao's coach, Freddie Roach, stated that he would allow a blood sample to be taken if there was a cut-off date for blood testing or at least one week before the fight. In an attempt to resolve their differences, the two camps agreed to mediation before a retired judge. After the mediation, Mayweather agreed to a 14-day no-blood-testing window. Pacquiao refused, only agreeing to a 24-day window.[114] On January 7, 2010 Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum declared that the fight was canceled, offering a chance to fight Pacquiao to Joshua Clottey instead; Mayweather accepted the offer to fight Mosley.[115]It was reported that Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer and Top Rank chief Bob Arum were trying to work out the failed negotiations for the bout between Mayweather and Pacquiao. Mayweather asked Pacquiao to undergo random blood and urine testing until fight day. Pacquiao agreed to give blood until 14 days before the fight, which is closer to the fight day than the 18-day cutoff in Mayweather's previous bout against Mosley. Pacquiao said that giving blood too close to the fight day would weaken him, and he has a fear of needles (despite having tattoos on his body). On June 12, 2010, president of Golden Boy Promotions Oscar De La Hoya stated during an interview with a Spanish network that a fight deal was near, although the negotiation process had been difficult.[116] On June 30 Arum announced that management for both sides had agreed to terms, all points of contention were settled (including Pacquiao agreeing to submit to blood and urine testing) and only Mayweather's signature was needed to seal a deal that could have earned both fighters at least $40 million each. [117] Mayweather was then given a two-week deadline to sign the contract.[118]
On Thursday, July 15, Mayweather was given until midnight Friday midnight to sign the contract. The following day, the Top Rank website embedded a countdown clock with the heading "Money Time: Mayweather's Decision".[119] On July 17, Arum announced that there was no word from Mayweather's camp and a deal for a November 13 fight was not reached.
On July 19, after waiting for Mayweather's response, Leonard Ellerbe (a close adviser) denied that negotiations for a fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao had ever taken place. He stated that Arum was not telling the truth, and Pacquiao never agreed to testing until the fight.[120] Arum later criticized De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer for denying that negotiations took place, after De La Hoya previously stated that they were "very, very close in finalizing the contracts".[121] Arum revealed that HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg acted as mediator between Mayweather’s handlers and those of Pacquiao’s from Top Rank Promotions.[122] On July 26 Greenburg stated that he had been negotiating with a representative from each side since May 2, trying to put the fight together, but they were unable to come to an agreement at all (contradicting what Arum and Top Rank had previously said).[123][124] After the second round of negotiations broke off, Mayweather told the Associated Press that he had fought 60 days ago, was in no rush to fight Pacquiao and was not thinking about boxing at the moment.[125] Almost a year later (on July 8, 2011), Pacquiao's top adviser Michael Koncz stated that Pacquiao had never agreed to testing until fight day (which contradicted Arum and the Pacquiao camp).[126] However, Arum confirmed that Pacquiao had agreed to unlimited random testing administered by the Olympic organization.[127] Further obstacles to the fight surfaced when Mayweather refused a 50-50 split of earnings with Pacquiao for the fight. Pacquiao was reportedly offered a flat fee of $40 million, with no share of the pay-per-view earnings.[128] Mayweather affirmed that a 50-50 split would not be offered to Pacquiao.[129]
Return to the ring
With Victor Ortiz
On June 7, 2011, Mayweather announced via Twitter that he was set to fight WBC welterweight champion and The Ring #2-ranked welterweight Victor Ortiz on September 17. Ortiz was Mayweather's first challenger in 16 months.[130] The fight took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
From round one, Mayweather used his speed, skills and accurate right
hand to tag Ortiz repeatedly. Although Mayweather seemed in control
through the first three rounds (judges' scores 30–27, 30–27 and 29–28
for Mayweather) in the fourth round Ortiz had some success, landing a
few shots and stinging Mayweather before bulling him into the corner. He
then rammed Mayweather in the face with an intentional headbutt, opening a cut on the inside and outside of Mayweather's mouth. Referee Joe Cortez immediately called time out and docked Ortiz a point for the blatant foul. Ortiz, apparently acknowledging his wrongdoing, hugged Mayweather in the corner and even appeared to kiss him.Cortez motioned the fighters back together to resume the fight, without putting them in a neutral corner. Both fighters touched gloves, and Ortiz gave Mayweather another hug. At that moment, Cortez was not looking at the fighters. As Ortiz let go, Mayweather took advantage of Ortiz not having his hands up and unloaded a left hook which wobbled Ortiz. Ortiz then looked at the referee, and Mayweather connected with a flush right hand to Ortiz's face. Ortiz dropped, and was unable to beat Cortez's count as the crowd of 14,687 jeered Mayweather. Although Mayweather's controversial victory was legal, it was deemed unsportsmanlike since it was obtained with a sucker punch.[131][132][133] After the fight Ortiz claimed that he was merely obeying the referee's instructions when he was "blindsided" by Mayweather, who defended his actions by saying that "In the ring, you have to protect yourself at all times".[134]
Mayweather vs. Ortiz was purchased by 1.25 million homes with a value of $78,440,000 in pay-per-view revenue. These numbers make the event the second-highest-grossing non-heavyweight pay-per-view event of all time. Mayweather has appeared in the three biggest non-heavyweight pay-per-view events in the sport’s history: Mayweather vs. Oscar De La Hoya ($136,853,700), Mayweather vs. Ortiz ($78,440,000 million) and Mayweather vs. Shane Mosley ($78,330,000 million).[135]
Return to light middleweight
With Miguel Cotto
Main article: Floyd Mayweather vs. Miguel Cotto
Mayweather's adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, announced on November 2, 2011
that Mayweather would return to the ring on May 5, 2012 at the MGM Grand
Garden Arena in Las Vegas. After negotiations with Manny Pacquiao
failed again, on February 1, 2012 it was confirmed that Mayweather would
be moving up in weight to fight WBA super welterweight champion and The Ring #1-ranked light middleweight Miguel Cotto.On the evening of Saturday, May 5, Mayweather defeated Cotto in 12 rounds by a unanimous decision, improving his record to 43–0.[136] Mayweather used movement and outboxed Cotto in the middle of the ring for the first few rounds. Beginning in rounds three and four Cotto cut the ring off from Mayweather, forcing the latter to fight from the ropes. However, Mayweather seemed to outfight Cotto from the ropes with his combinations and by rolling with most of Cotto's punches. Cotto had more success in the middle rounds, landing his jab and body shots on Mayweather and effectively trapping him on the ropes. The later rounds were controlled by Mayweather, who boxed more in the center of the ring late in the fight. In the 12th round Mayweather's uppercut stunned and hurt Cotto, but Cotto was able to fight until the end. The judges scored the fight a unanimous decision for Mayweather by scores of 118–110, 117–111 and 117–111. After the fight, Mayweather said Cotto was the toughest fighter he ever faced.
CompuBox had Mayweather outlanding and outworking Cotto in the fight by a significant margin. Mayweather landed 26 percent of his total punches (179 out of 687), compared with 21 percent (105 out of 506) for Cotto. In power punches, Mayweather landed 128 of 382 (34 percent), compared with 75 of 329 (23 percent) for Cotto.[137] Mayweather earned the biggest guaranteed purse in boxing history ($32 million) when he fought Cotto, according to contracts filed with the Nevada State Athletic Commission.[138] The Mayweather-Cotto fight generated $94 million in PPV revenue from 1.5 million purchases, making it the second-biggest non-heavyweight fight in history (after Mayweather's fight with Oscar De La Hoya).[139]
Jail term
On June 1, 2012, Mayweather reported to the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas to serve his 87-day jail term for domestic abuse. After serving two months, he was released from prison August 3.[140]Professional boxing record
Boxing titles
Major World Titles:- WBC Super Featherweight Champion (130 lbs)
- WBC Lightweight Champion (135 lbs)
- WBC Light Welterweight Champion (140 lbs)
- IBF Welterweight Champion (147 lbs)
- WBC Welterweight Champion (147 lbs)
- WBC Light Middleweight Champion (154 lbs)
- (2) WBC Welterweight Champion (147 lbs)
- WBA Light Middleweight Champion (154 lbs)
- IBO Welterweight Champion (147 lbs)
- IBA Welterweight Champion (147 lbs)
- Lineal Super Featherweight Champion (130 lbs)
- The Ring Lightweight Champion (135 lbs)
- The Ring Welterweight Champion (147 lbs)
- WBC Emeritus Light Middleweight Champion (154 lbs)
- WBC Diamond Welterweight Champion (147 lbs)
World Wrestling Entertainment
Mayweather appeared at World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)'s No Way Out pay-per-view event on February 17, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was involved in a storyline altercation with Big Show when Mayweather jumped a security barricade and attacked Big Show to help Rey Mysterio (whom Show had threatened to chokeslam). Mayweather originally assumed a babyface role in the story lines, which met with some resistance from fans.[142] The attack resulted in Big Show receiving a broken nose. The following night on Raw Big Show challenged Mayweather to a one-on-one No Disqualification match at WrestleMania XXIV, which Mayweather accepted. At WrestleMania, Mayweather defeated Big Show in a knockout with brass knuckles, to maintain his unbeaten record.[143] Mayweather claimed that he was paid $20 million for the fight; however, WWE's financial statements do not show that number.Mayweather was guest host for WWE Raw in Las Vegas on August 24, 2009. He interfered with a tag-team match, which resulted in a loss for the Big Show (again a heel) and his partner Chris Jericho as Mayweather gave Montel Vontavious Porter brass knuckles to knock Jericho out, giving Porter and his new tag-team partner Mark Henry the win and a shot at the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles at WWE Breaking Point against Big Show and Jericho. He then celebrated with Henry and Porter, changing face. Later that night, he was involved in a backstage segment with Vince McMahon, D-Generation X and Carlito helping McMahon prepare for his six-man tag-team match against Legacy and DX. During the segment, McMahon knocked out Carlito.
Dancing with the Stars
Mayweather appeared on the fifth season of Dancing with the Stars; his partner was Ukrainian-American professional ballroom dancer Karina Smirnoff. On October 16, 2007, Smirnoff and Mayweather were the fourth couple to be eliminated from the competition, finishing in ninth place.[144]Legal issues
In 2002, Mayweather was charged with two counts of domestic violence
and one count of misdemeanor battery. He received a six-month suspended
sentence, two days of house arrest and was ordered to perform 48 hours
of community service.[145]
In 2004 Mayweather was given a one-year suspended jail sentence,
ordered to undergo counseling for "impulse control" and pay a $1,000
fine (or perform 100 hours of community service) after being convicted
of two counts of misdemeanor battery against two women.[146]
In 2005 Mayweather pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge
after kicking a bouncer, receiving a 90-day suspended jail sentence.[147]On September 9, 2010 it was reported that Mayweather was being sought by police for questioning after his former girlfriend, Josie Harris, filed a domestic battery report against him. Harris accused Mayweather of battery in the past, but those charges were dropped in July 2005 after Harris testified that she had lied and that Mayweather had not battered her.[148] Mayweather was taken into custody September 10, 2010, but was released after posting $3,000 bail. Mayweather was initially charged with felony theft (stemming from the disappearance of Harris's mobile phone); on September 16 two felony coercion charges, one felony robbery charge, one misdemeanor domestic-battery charge and three misdemeanor harassment charges were added.
On December 21, 2011, a judge sentenced Mayweather to serve 90 days in the county jail for battery upon his ex-girlfriend in September 2010. Mayweather reached a deal with prosecutors in which he pled guilty to misdemeanor battery in exchange for prosecutors dropping the felony battery charge. Mayweather also pled no contest to two counts of misdemeanor harrasment, stemming from threats to his children. In addition to the 90-day sentence Mayweather was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service, a 12-month domestic-violence program and to pay a fine of $2,500.[149] On June 1 Mayweather began serving his county jail sentence,[150] and was released in August 2012.
Relationship with Al Haymon
Mayweather's relationship with controversial boxing manager Al Haymon is well-known.[151] This relationship has allowed Haymon to gain considerable influence in the boxing industry; in turn, Mayweather has made more money than he would have absent the relationship.[14]Honours and awards
- 1993 Michigan State Golden Gloves Champion, 106 Lbs[152]
- 1993 National Golden Gloves Champion, 106 Lbs[153]
- 1994 Michigan State Golden Gloves Champion, 112 Lbs[152]
- 1994 National Golden Gloves Champion, 112 Lbs; Outstanding Boxer Award[153]
- 1995 National PAL Champion, 125 Lbs; Outstanding Boxer Award[154]
- 1995 U.S. National Amateur Featherweight Champion, 125 Lbs
- 1995 Competed at Featherweight at the World Amateur Boxing Championships[155]
- 1996 Michigan State Golden Gloves Champion, 125 Lbs[152]
- 1996 National Golden Gloves Champion, 125 Lbs[153]
- 1996 Qualified as a Featherweight for the United States Olympic Team
- 1996 Atlanta Olympics Featherweight Bronze medalist
- 1998 and 2007 International Boxing Award Fighter of the Year[156]
- 1998 and 2007 The Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year
- 2000–09 Yahoo! Sports, Best of the Decade[157]
- 2002 World Boxing Hall of Fame Fighter of the Year[154]
- 2005 and 2007 World Boxing Council Boxer of the Year[158][159]
- 2005–08 The Ring 'number one' pound for pound
- 2007 Boxing Writers Association of America Fighter of the Year
- 2007 ESPN Fighter of the Year[160]
- 2007 Forbes Magazine, Ranked "Number 14" Richest Celebrity Paydays[161]
- 2007 New York Daily News Fighter of the Year[162]
- 2007 World Boxing Council Event of the Year (The World Awaits)[159]
- 2007 World Boxing Council Knockout of the Year (against Ricky Hatton)[159]
- 2007, 2008 and 2010 Best Fighter ESPY Award
- 2007, 2008 and 2010 The Ring Magazine Event of the Year[163]
- 2008 Sports Illustrated, The 50 Highest-Earning American Athletes (ranked 4th)[164]
- 2008 Yahoo Sports, Ranked "Number 6" Most Powerful People in Boxing[165]
- 2009 The Ring Magazine Comeback of the Year
- 2009–10 BoxRec, BBC Sport and Yahoo! Sports 'number one' pound for pound[166]
- 2010 Yahoo! Sports Boxing's Most Influential (ranked 70th)[167]
- 2010 Forbes Magazine Celebrity 100 (ranked 31st)[168]
- 2010 Forbes Magazine, The World's 50 Top-Earning Athletes (ranked 2nd)[169]
- 2010 Sports Illustrated, The 50 Highest-Earning American Athletes (ranked 3rd)[170]
- 2012 Forbes Magazine #1 of the world's 100 highest paid athletes.[171]
- 2012 Sports Illustrated #1 fortunes 50.[172]
- 2012 Best Fighter ESPY Award.[173]
