Floyd Joy Mayweather Sr. (born October 19, 1952) is an American boxing trainer and former professional boxer who competed from 1973 to 1990. Fighting at welterweight during the 1970s and 1980s, Mayweather Sr. was known for his defensive abilities and overall knowledge of boxing strategy. He is the father and former trainer of Floyd Mayweather Jr., and also father to Justin Mayweather, an American boxer residing in Las Vegas.[1][2]
Mayweather Sr.'s boxing record was 28–6–1 (18 TKOs), and he won one contest during the U.S. Championship Tournament in 1977, against Miguel Barreto.[3] He broke his hand and was knocked out in a fight against Sugar Ray Leonard in 1978.[4] Four months later, he was shot in the leg in a family dispute which virtually ended his career.[4]
Trainer
As a trainer, Mayweather preaches defense and a stiff jab. He taught many of his boxers the Michigan Defense which uses a defensive technique known as the shoulder roll, in which the fighter uses his front shoulder to deflect blows and limit their impact.[5] He has on many occasions, including HBO's Mayweather-Hatton 24/7, claimed to be Floyd Mayweather Sr., 'The Greatest Dog of All Time'".[citation needed]
Floyd Mayweather Sr. taught Mayweather Jr. to punch when he was still a toddler in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His training was disrupted by a five-and-a-half-year prison sentence on a drug-dealing conviction, and he resumed training his son 14 fights into his professional career.[4] He had a public falling out with his son in 2000, and his brother Roger took over training Mayweather Jr..[6]
He is the former trainer of top light heavyweight Chad Dawson, former two-division champion Joan Guzmán and women's champion Laila Ali. He is well known for his stint as Oscar De La Hoya's trainer from 2001 through 2006. He said he would train De La Hoya for his May 5, 2007, fight against his son, but demanded a $2 million fee to do so. After considerable deliberation, De La Hoya opted not to hire Mayweather Sr. and announced on January 30, 2007, he would use Freddie Roach instead.
The snub briefly reunited father and son,[6] with Floyd Sr. turning up at the Mayweather Jr. boxing gym, while Roger (who had been banned from being in the corner at boxing matches for 12 months for starting a riot during Floyd Jr.'s bout against Zab Judah on April 8, 2006, when he attacked Judah) served six months in jail for a domestic assault. But when Roger was released, the situation became awkward because of the brothers’ rivalry.
Floyd Jr. chose Roger as his trainer and Floyd Sr. left again, claiming that the father-son relationship was "back to square one" for choosing Roger over his own father again. Floyd Sr. agreed to once again train De La Hoya in anticipation for Mayweather Jr. – De La Hoya II presented by Golden Boy Promotions. However, due to disagreements with how revenues would be divided amongst the two fighters, the bout was canceled. Mayweather Sr. trained Manchester's Ricky Hatton for seven weeks prior to his bout against Paulie Malignaggi on November 22, 2008, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.[7]
A proposed March 2010 fight between Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao fell by the wayside in January 2010 when the camps representing both fighters could not agree on a timeline for drug testing for the fight. The Mayweathers had suggested that Manny Pacquiao was aided by performance-enhancing drugs. Pacquiao filed a defamation suit against them that was eventually settled in 2012.[8]
In May 2013, for the first time in 13 years, Floyd Jr. announced that Floyd Sr. would return as his trainer against Robert Guerrero. While some speculated this was because of the bloody nose Jr. got in an otherwise dominant performance against Miguel Cotto (a change to the more defensive-oriented Floyd Sr. over the offensive Roger was seen as logical), Floyd Jr. cited his uncle Roger's health issues, diabetes, and poor vision as rationale for the change. Sr. has remained the trainer of Jr. ever since and trained him to victory in his fight over Manny Pacquiao.[10]
Personal life
Mayweather Sr. suffers from the lung disease sarcoidosis.[11]
Floyd’s younger brother, Roger was WBC super featherweight and super lightweight champion. The youngest brother, Jeff, held the IBO super featherweight title.
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