Floyd Mayweather

Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. (born Floyd Joy Sinclair on February 24, 1977) is an American professional boxer and boxing promoter. Undefeated at 50–0, he won 15 major world championships across five weight classes spanning from super featherweight to light middleweight, including The Ring magazine title in three weight classes. Known for his defensive capabilities, Mayweather holds the highest plus–minus ratio in recorded boxing history and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2021.

Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Mayweather was raised in a family of boxers. His father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., was a former welterweight contender, while his uncles Jeff and Roger Mayweather were professional boxers. Mayweather faced childhood hardships, including poverty and family struggles with drug addiction, while living in Michigan and New Jersey. After dropping out of Ottawa Hills High School, he focused entirely on boxing to help support his family.

Mayweather compiled an amateur record of 84 wins and 8 losses. He won national Golden Gloves titles in 1993, 1994, and 1996, alongside a U.S. national championship at featherweight. At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, he earned a bronze medal in the featherweight division after losing a controversial semifinal decision to Serafim Todorov of Bulgaria, which prompted an unsuccessful official protest by the U.S. team.

He made his professional debut in October 1996 with a second-round knockout of Roberto Apodaca. Trained initially by his uncle Roger Mayweather and later by his father, Mayweather captured his first world title in 1998 by defeating Genaro Hernández for the WBC super featherweight championship. He was named The Ring's Fighter of the Year in 1998 at age 21 and defended his super featherweight title against contenders such as Angel Manfredy, Carlos Rios, Justin Juuko, and Carlos Gerena.

Throughout his career, Mayweather became the most accurate puncher among professional boxers since the creation of CompuBox and achieved notable milestones, including a tied record with Joe Louis of 26 consecutive wins in world title fights. He recorded 24 wins against former or current world titlists and eight wins against International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees. In 2006, he departed Bob Arum's Top Rank to establish his own promotional firm, Mayweather Promotions.

Mayweather generated approximately 24 million pay-per-view buys and $1.67 billion in revenue, frequently ranking as the world's highest-paid athlete on lists published by Forbes and Sports Illustrated. Following his retirement from professional boxing in August 2017, Mayweather transitioned to exhibition boxing. He has received numerous historical honors, including BWAA Fighter of the Decade for the 2010s and top pound-for-pound rankings from BoxRec, ESPN, and The Ring.