Floyd Mayweather Jr. News: 'Money May' Claims He Changed Face Of Boxing
Retired undefeated fighter Floyd Mayweather Jr. is firm on his belief that he did make a mark in the sport of boxing.
"Money May" retired from professional competition in September, after a landslide unanimous decision victory against two-time world champion Andre Berto. He left the sport for the second time in his almost two-decade long career with a record of 49-0, with 26 victories by knockout.
For many boxing pundits, it was Mayweather's ability to make his opponents look less skilled that made him be considered as one of today's best fighters. A world champion in five different weight divisions, Floyd Jr. has gone through the sport's biggest names.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
From Mexican greats such as Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, Jose Luis Castillo, and Juan Manuel Marquez, to legends such as Shane Mosley, Oscar De La Hoya, Diego Corrales, and Arturo Gatti, Mayweather has conquered every single one.
He was finally able to silence all his critics when he faced eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao last May. It was a fight that took five years to make, given the back-and-forth disagreements from both camps. Most notably, Mayweather has been accused of avoiding fighting Pacquiao since the negotiations to make their fight happen began in 2009.
Again winning by a wide unanimous decision margin against the Filipino boxing icon, Mayweather also earned the biggest paycheck of his career, amounting to $300 million. For Mayweather, his accomplishments alone make him a viable candidate to becoming "The Best Ever."
But more importantly, he feels that he was able to bring attention to the lighter weights, breaking away from the old mentality that only heavyweight boxers bring the entertainment.
"At one time everyone was only interested in the big guys - the heavyweights," Mayweather said in a report by Boxingscene. "And when I came into boxing, everyone started paying attention to my weight class."
"I was at super featherweight, then lightweight champion," he added. "Then I moved from one division to another."
