Top 5 moments in Mayweather’s career
When someone has had the career Floyd Mayweather Jr. has, there are many highlights from which to choose when determining his greatest moments in the ring.
He has dominated wherever he fought at whatever weight class he competed in and against some of the best of his generation. He has yet to disappoint and has yet to taste defeat.
Here are five memorable Mayweather moments:
Record Numbers (2013) — Many of Mayweather’s detractors were hoping junior middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez would be too big and too strong and that Mayweather would finally get his comeuppance. Mayweather was moving up to 154 pounds and Canelo, although young at 23, was ready to ascend to the throne as boxing’s best.
It never happened. Mayweather used his superior skills and constantly beat Alvarez to the punch. He frustrated Alvarez over the course of their 12-round fight and appeared an easy winner. But somehow, judge C.J. Ross inexplicably scored the fight a draw, 114-114, while the other judges had Mayweather winning easily. So while he did get a majority decision and took Alvarez’s WBC and WBA belts, the win was a tad bittersweet for him.
It would also be the last major fight Ross would ever judge. It also set a record for live gate ($20.03 million) and gross pay per view sales ($150 million).
Signature Win (2001) — Mayweather was already a champion (WBC super featherweight) when he fought Diego Corrales on Jan. 20, 2001 at the MGM. Corrales, a terrific puncher, was expected to give Mayweather his sternest test to date.
But Mayweather was on his game that night and he put on a virtuoso performance. He withstood Corrales’ pressure and responded by knocking Corrales down five times before Corrales’ corner stopped the fight in the 10th round. The TKO win took Mayweather to a new level in terms of respect and popularity.
No Fluke (2002) — Jose Luis Castillo thought he had gotten the better of Mayweather when they met on April 20, 2002 at the MGM. But Mayweather won the fight somewhat comfortably with the three judges, and in doing so, became the WBC lightweight champion. They met eight months later in a rematch and Mayweather left no doubt this time, once again winning by unanimous decision.
Castillo is one of only two fighters to have faced Mayweather twice. The other to receive a rematch was Marcos Maidana last year.
‘Money’ Is Born (2007) — Mayweather was already the WBC welterweight champ when he agreed to face Oscar De La Hoya at on May 5 at the Grand Garden. The run-up to the fight was contentious and there was plenty of ill will toward De La Hoya. It was Mayweather’s second time promoting himself so there was a lot of pressure after he had left Top Rank.
De La Hoya appeared to be holding his own over the first half of the fight and many observers believed he was winning. The second half though saw Mayweather raise his game and it was enough to win over two of the judges, who saw it 116-112 and 115-113 for him while De La Hoya was ahead 115-113 on the other judge’s card.
And while Mayweather did indeed get the win and remain undefeated, boxing was the big winner that night as the fight sold a record number of pay-per-view buys — 2.45 million — and the gate was a then-record $18.4 million. Mayweather made $25 million that night and the bar had been raised for his future paydays.
Strong Chin (2010) — Mayweather’s detractors, and there are plenty of them, say he can’t take a punch. On the night of May 1 when he fought Shane Mosley at the MGM, Mayweather proved them wrong. It was in the second round when Mosley unleashed a pair of huge rights that caught Mayweather flush on the jaw. The crowd of 15,117 leaped to its feet as one sensing history was about to be made.
Mayweather appeared stunned at the very least and perhaps genuinely hurt by the big blow from Mosley. He staggered, his legs buckled briefly, but he never went down. Mosley himself was stunned to see Mayweather still on his feet. Mayweather regrouped and proceeded to dominate the rest of the way, winning an easy 12-round unanimous decision.
That fight was also the first time both fighters would be tested independently for steroids and performance enhancing drugs through random blood and urine testing. Mosley had been involved in the infamous BALCO case and Mayweather made it a stipulation that Mosley be subject to random testing. Every fight Mayweather has fought since has had random testing.
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj