Boxing in the 21st century is a playground for many big names, making this sport more and more crowded. However, to call who is the real king of this sport, there are not many worthy names. Among these few names, the one who is truly recognized as the king, the sole ruler of the boxing sport can only be Floyd Mayweather. 

50 fights, 50 wins, no defeat. “Invincible” to Floyd Mayweather is not just a title, the four words “invincible” express everything you can imagine about this boxer.

No boxer has earned more money than Floyd Mayweather in the history of boxing. 21 years of professional competition have brought the “Undefeated” a total of 800  million USD .

The wealthy and glamorous city of Las Vegas will witness Floyd Mayweather’s final moves in the ring in his fight with Conor McGregor. It is also the place where the 42-year-old boxer roams every weekend, spending tens of thousands of dollars.

However, few people know that, more than 2,500 km east from Las Vegas, the Grand Rapids slum, full of violence and guns, is where the “Invincible” grew up.

NEAR DEATH AT 1 YEAR OLD

Floyd Mayweather was 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 in 1977, he grew up in a family with a boxing tradition. His father was also a middleweight boxer but his career was not very outstanding. The reason Mr. Floyd “big” entered the ring was to find a source of income to cover family expenses. However, Mayweather’s father’s talent forced him to choose the path of drug trafficking to support his wife and 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren.

In 1979, just four months after his epic fight with Sugar Ray Leonard, Big Floyd picked a fight with his brother-in-law, Baboon, at a skating rink. When Baboon returned to the house they shared, he was armed with a 20-gauge shotgun and a bullet in his eye.

Faced with imminent death, Mr. Mayweather Sr. quickly used his little son as a shield. “If you want to 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 me, 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 my son too .” Mayweather’s father placed the boy in front of his legs and said to Mr. Baboon. A dry gunshot rang out. The bullet from the gun hit Mr. Mayweather Sr.’s left thigh.

The lives of Mayweather and his father were saved, but the wound from that gunshot caused Mayweather Sr.’s boxing career to come to a standstill.

With limited mobility, the boxer who once had the chance to fight the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard could not reach the peak as desired. Income was increasingly limited. The 7 Mayweather family members had to sleep together in a dark and moldy bedroom.

“I don’t remember him taking me anywhere, doing the things that fathers do with their sons, like going to the park, watching movies, or getting ice cream. I used to think he liked his daughter more than me. She never got beaten, but I got beaten often.”

Mayweather Sr.’s actions in 1979 could be considered selfish. But in the end, he was a good father. Not only did he pass on his passion and directly teach boxing to his son, Mayweather Sr. also helped “The Undefeated” stay away from the evils that existed around him.

Having a mother addicted to opium and an aunt who died from drug abuse is not easy. However, the incident at the age of one has forged Mayweather into an amazingly calm person.

He trained tirelessly, punching punching bags, fighting invisible opponents, lifting weights and turning any other kids his age who didn’t suit him into… his army. Once, when young Mayweather wondered about his future, his grandmother replied: “If you don’t box, you’ll starve!”  Realizing that life must take place in the ring, young Mayweather went to the famous Tawsi and Pride Gyms to train.

THE PATH OF THE CONQUEROR

CLike many other boxers, Mayweather started his career as an amateur with a record of 86 wins and 4 losses. From 1993 to 1996, he won the Golden Gloves title three times in the 48kg, 51kg and 56kg weight classes.

During this period, Mayweather was known for his excellent defensive s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s, which he had learned from his father and uncle. He developed them into a specialty in his career. His impressive domestic achievements helped Mayweather make the US team for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

However, the boxer 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 in 1977 had to stop in the semi-finals against Bulgarian boxer Serafim Todorov and had to accept the bronze medal. This is also a memorable milestone in Floyd Mayweather’s career. Because since this defeat, he has established an unprecedented achievement thanks to which fans remember him with the nickname “invincible”.

He started his professional featherweight career with his debut match on October 11, 1996 against Roberto Apodaca and he knocked out his opponent after only 2 rounds.

Over the course of 12 years, Mayweather won 12 fights, most of them by knockout. In his 18th career bout, Mayweather took his name to the next level by winning the WBC featherweight championship after defeating Hernandez by technical knockout. Mayweather then showed his dominance in the featherweight division with 9 more wins before moving up to lightweight in April 2002.

The victories continued to come for the American, who added the WBC belt before moving up two more weight classes in the following years.

Success after success, in June 2005, Mayweather moved up to the light welterweight division to add to his trophy collection. He won his third world title after defeating Arturo Gatti in just 6 rounds. By this time, winning and conquering titles had become a hobby for the Michigan-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 boxer.

In 2006 alone, he won the IBF, IBO, WBC and IBC welterweight titles, increasing his win tally to 37. Mayweather’s next challenge was against legendary boxer Oscar De La Hoya in a light welterweight match. Once again, Mayweather was the winner after 12 intense rounds. This helped the boxer win the WBC light welterweight title from De La Hoya.

By 2012, Mayweather had added four more titles to his trophy cabinet, and had increased his career win tally to 47 in a rematch with Argentine boxer Maidana.

Floyd Mayweather’s biggest fight of his career was the “fight of the century” against Manny Pacquiao in 2015. This was a fight that attracted the attention of more than 1 billion people worldwide. In Las Vegas, Floyd Mayweather defeated the Filipino boxer by points after 12 rounds.

That same year, Floyd Mayweather officially said goodbye to his career with his 49th career victory over Andre Berto. In his fighting history, the American welterweight boxer has never known defeat. The only feeling Mayweather knows is victory, victory, and victory…

In 2017, Mayweather, at the age of 40, decided to return to the ring once again with a fight against UFC boxer Conor McGregor. “The older the ginger, the spicier it is,” Mayweather proved that he is still unrivaled despite the fact that age may slow down his movements.

KING MIDAS OF BOXING

NThe continuous success in the ring has really changed the life of a person with a difficult 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥hood like Mayweather. The prize money earned from the matches has helped him become the best-earning athlete in the sports world. It is not an exaggeration to say that Mayweather is King Midas – with the hand that can turn everything into cash.

Mayweather has plenty of dollars. To show off his wealth and spending power to the world, supercars have become too normal for Floyd Mayweather. The American boxer owns his own private jet worth nearly 46 million USD. Besides, he continuously shows off his money on his personal page.

That makes Floyd a thorn in the side of many people. However, the criticism and ridicule that many people have for Mayweather seem to have no effect on this arrogant boxer. He once said:  “This life is Mayweather’s. I want to live the way I want, not the way people want me to.”

Despite possessing an impressive record, the boxing world over the past 20 years has also witnessed many names as prominent as Mayweather such as the Klitschko brothers, Manny Pacquiao, Juan Manuel Marquez… But why is “The Undefeated” the one who earns the most money?

The answer lies in the American boxer’s wild nature, polished by his powerful promotional team.

With confidence and recklessness ingrained in his blood after difficult 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥hood years, Mayweather built his image according to the typical model of a “bad boy”. Showing off too much, making shocking statements, constantly creating scandals that make the public boil and pay attention every time he steps into the ring.

In 2007, before his match with Oscar De La Hoya, people suddenly saw that the “Undefeated” and his father had a serious conflict. The American boxer publicly criticized Mr. Mayweather Sr. for being “incompetent and jealous”.

Mayweather Sr. then almost switched to training De La Hoya. The media took advantage of the situation and the fight became hotter than ever. Mayweather earned more than  $25 million , a record amount for a boxing match at that time.

However, when the match ended, the Mayweathers surprisingly reconciled quickly. There was no more argument. Everything sank into oblivion as quickly as it appeared. Many people suspected that it was a trick of “Money”.

Knowing how to stir things up, Mayweather chose attractive boxers to increase the amount of dollars flowing into his pocket. Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor had the chance to fight the “Undefeated”. In none of the above fights did Mayweather pocket less than  100 million USD , which is 10 times the amount Wladimir Klitschko and Anthony Joshua earned. No one can do this, only Floyd Mayweather!

Throughout his career, Mayweather has lived on the back of public opinion. He has built a wall separating himself from society. He has been in prison, mostly for beating people. But when that rude person steps into the ring, he becomes a different person. The audience may boo him and ask him to fight harder, but Mayweather doesn’t care. No matter how his opponent provokes him, he is calm. That is why Mayweather is invincible. Whether his opponent is a young rookie or a veteran, he treats them all the same.

In the end, whether you love or hate Mayweather, you have to admit that Mayweather is the best. Mayweather is no longer competing at the top level, the rise of excellent young boxers like Joshua can make boxing somewhat attractive. However, how long will it take for someone to have the same achievements as Floyd Mayweather? It may be a long time or never because Floyd Mayweather is simply the best, the only one.