Mayweather, Floyd, Jr., 1977–, American boxer, b. Grand Rapids, Mich., as Floyd Joy Sinclair. He began boxing at an early age, coached by his father, a welterweight boxer whose name he subsequently took. Mayweather won Golden Gloves championships in 1993–94 and 1996 and a bronze medal as a featherweight at the 1996 Olympics before he turned professional. In 1998 he won the World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight title. After his 2001 defense, he began moving up in the weight classes, winning the WBC lightweight title in 2002, WBC light welterweight title in 2004, and International Boxing Federation (IBF) and WBC welterweight titles in 2006. In 2007 he won Oscar de la Hoya's WBC light middleweight belt, but relinquished it and retained his welterweight title. Between 2007 and 2014 he went undefeated while moving among weight classes, his heaviest being (super) light middleweight. In 2015 Mayweather defeated Manny Pacquiao to defend his World Boxing Association (super) and WBC welterweight titles and win the World Boxing Organization welterweight title. He subsequently extended his professional record to 49–0, equalling Rocky Marciano's career record. His successful boxing career has been marred by personal problems; he served jail time for domestic abuse in 2012.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2025, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Sports: Biographies
