| Floyd Mayweather, Sr. | |
|---|---|
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| Boxer | |
| Born | Oct. 19, 1952 |
| Nationality | American |
Floyd Mayweather, Sr. (born 1952) is a former professional boxer from the United States. He later became a successful trainer. Mayweather, who is the father of boxing champion Floyd Mayweather, Jr., was renowned for his strong defense.
He was also noted for his encyclopedic knowledge of the strategy of boxing, something he passed on to his five-time world champion son. As a trainer, he has sometimes riled his fighter”s opponents with his outspoken remarks, his flamboyant manner of dress, and even poetry recitals.
Early Life and Career
Mayweather was born in the small Mississippi city of Amory on October 19, 1952. The eldest child of his household, he came from a family steeped in the traditions of the boxing ring. Roger, his younger brother, held the WBC belts for both the super lightweight and the super featherweight divisions.
Another brother, Jeff, was the super featherweight champion for the rival IBO organization. When his son is also taken into account, the family is one of the most successful families in the history of boxing.
Mayweather, Sr. did not have quite the level of success in the ring that his younger brothers enjoyed. However, he was the U.S. Champion in 1977, winning that year”s tournament with a victory against Miguel Barreto. In his 35 fights, he won 28 and knocked out his opponent on 18 of these occasions.
Aside from one draw, Mayweather’s other bouts ended in defeat, most famously against the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard. However, the respiratory disease sarcoidosis prevented him from continuing as a boxer and so he turned his efforts to the training side of the boxing industry.
Career as a Trainer
Mayweather has been far more successful as a trainer than he was as a boxer. He was already teaching his son the rudiments of boxing when he was just a toddler. However, the family had to endure serious tensions in 1978 when he was shot in the leg by one of his son”s maternal uncles.
Nevertheless, Mayweather, Sr., went on to be an outstanding trainer. The fighters that he has trained included Oscar De La Hoya, whom he trained for five years at the beginning in the early 2000s. This partnership broke up in 2007 when De La Hoya rejected Mayweather”s demand for a $2 million payment to manage his fight against his own son – Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
Mayweather, Sr., has also acted as the trainer for several prominent female fighters, ranging from Laila Ali – the daughter of Muhammad Ali – to Joan Guzman. He generally tells his boxers that they should rely heavily on a stiff jab and cultivating a strong defensive technique.
In particular, he is an advocate of the shoulder roll, in which the impact of punches can be reduced by the careful use of a boxer”s front shoulder. He tends to be extremely confident in his abilities, sometimes referring to himself as the greatest of all boxing trainers.
Later Life and Controversy
After the De La Hoya incident, Mayweather and his son were reunited as a team, but this reconciliation was only brief. Its main cause was due to the fact that Roger Mayweather had been sent to jail for starting a riot at a previous bout along with some drug offenses.
Once Roger was released from prison, his rivalry with Mayweather, Sr., once again became a serious problem. The younger Floyd decided to work with Roger rather than his father, who bitterly claimed that his relationship with his son was no better than it ever had been.
Mayweather then returned to training De La Hoya, but a planned fight with Mayweather, Jr. was cancelled in a dispute over money. Instead, Mayweather, Sr. became the trainer of British fighter Ricky Hatton, preparing him for his TKO victory over Paulie Malignaggi at Las Vegas”s MGM Grand hotel in November 2008. Following this triumph, the two men stayed together, but in Hatton”s next fight he was knocked out by Manny Pacquaio in the second round.
At last, Mayweather and his son made up for good, although the younger Mayweather retained Roger as his own trainer. Once again, a potentially explosive fight fell through when an argument over drug testing sabotaged Mayweather, Jr.”s match-up with Pacquaio in 2010.
Mayweather, Sr., had repeatedly claimed in public that Pacquaio had been using performance-enhancing substances in order to achieve his victories in the welterweight division. The following year, a district judge ruled that there was sufficient evidence for Pacquaio”s lawsuit for malice against Mayweather and the case continued.