5 Things You Might Not Know About Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. 50-0 (27 KOs) is arguably the greatest defensive boxer of all time. On New Year’s Eve, at Rizin 14 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, “Money” will challenge Japanese kickboxing sensation Tenshin Nasukawa. The three-round exhibition match will be contested under boxing rules, a sport the 20-year-old Nasukawa has never competed in before.

In the build-up to the marquee matchup, here are five things that you might not know about boxing legend.

He has fought in multiple weight categories.

Mayweather has fought in five different weight categories during his lengthy boxing career. The 5’8’’ pound-for-pound great started out in the paid ranks back in 1996 as a super featherweight (130 pounds). Since then he has turned out at lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight and light middleweight.

He has been to prison.

Mayweather has had a number of run-ins with the law, due to battery and domestic violence allegations. In 2011, he was found guilty of battery against his former girlfriend, Josie Harris. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail. On June 1 2012, Mayweather began his sentence. He was released a little over two months later, on Aug. 3.

He has won nine major world titles.

All-time great Mayweather has claimed major belts in five different weight classes. He has been the WBC super featherweight champion, WBC lightweight champion, WBC super lightweight champion, IBF welterweight champion, WBC welterweight champion x2, WBC light middleweight champion x2, WBA (super) light middleweight champion, WBA (super) welterweight champion and WBO welterweight champion. Considering his remarkable achievements, it is not surprising that in 2016, ESPN chose “Money” as the greatest pound-for-pound boxer of the last 25 years.

He went to the Olympics.

Mayweather garnered a reputation as defensive maestro during his stint competing in the amateur ranks. In 1996, the then 19-year-old represented the United States at that summer’s Atlanta Olympics. Having stopped his first opponent, he emerged victorious from his second bout with a dominant 16-3 score line. In besting Lorenzo Aragon in the quarterfinals, Mayweather became the first American boxer to defeat a Cuban in 20 years. The win saw him qualify for the semi-finals, where he met Bulgaria’s Serafim Todorov. Most in attendance thought Mayweather won the contest, but in a controversial move the judges opted for the Bulgarian. So angered were the U.S. team with the decision that they filed a complaint against the judges. However, the result stood and the young American was eliminated from the games with a bronze medal to show for efforts.

He comes from a family of boxers.

“Money” hails from illustrious boxing stock. His uncles Jess and Roger Mayweather were both successful fighters. Roger, who was once his nephew’s trainer, won two world titles. Mayweather Jr.’s father, Mayweather Sr., is a former welterweight contender who compiled a 28-6-1 professional record. His opponents included the great Sugar Ray Leonard. Considering Mayweather Jr.’s boxing heritage, it is little wonder that he set his heart on a career in the ring at a young age. He once stated when speaking of his formative years in an interview, that he came to the conclusion, “… I was going to have to box to earn a living …”