Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Background

Floyd Mayweather Jr. was born as Floyd Joy Sinclair into a family of boxers on February 24, 1977, in Michigan. He is the son of Floyd Mayweather Sr., a former welterweight contender. Mayweather attended Ottawa Hills High School before dropping out. Since childhood, the only profession he seriously considered was boxing. The defense techniques taught by his father and uncle led him to have fewer scars, which gained him the nickname “Pretty Boy.”

With 84 wins and eight losses, Mayweather won a bronze medal in the featherweight division at the 1996 Olympics, the U.S. national championship at featherweight, and three U.S. Golden Gloves championships for a featherweight, light flyweight, and flyweight. He won his first world title in 1998, only two years after entering professional boxing, making him the first 1996 U.S. Olympian to win a world title. By 1998, he was ranked as the “number eight-pound-for-pound” best boxer by The Ring. He defended his title three more times and continued to dominate. By the end of 2001, he was still ranked by The Ring as the number one super featherweight and number five best pound-for-pound boxer globally. In 2006, he founded his own boxing promotional firm called “Mayweather Promotions.”

Mayweather is frequently referred to as the best defensive boxer and most accurate puncher. He has a record of 26 consecutive wins in world title fights, 12 wins against former or current lineal champions, and five wins against International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees. According to Forbes, in 2018, he was the highest-paid athlete globally, with total earnings amounting to $285 million. He was admitted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the class of 2021. As of May 2021, he is ranked as the greatest boxer of all time. Known to keep his personal life away from the limelight, Mayweather has never been married. However, he has four biological children and an adopted son.