Floyd Mayweather is unquestionably one of the worlds best-known athletes. His fights are big-time sporting events, regularly attended by the likes of Jack Nicholson, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Leonardo Di Caprio, and provide a huge boost to the Las Vegas economy as tens of thousands flock to Sin City to revel in the big occasion. This will again be the case on Saturday as millions await his rematch with tough Argentine Marcos Maidana. Mayweather, for so long a fighter who seemed nigh-on untouchable in the ring, last fought in May, and although he was rightly awarded the decision many were surprised to see him struggle to suppress Maidanas fearless challenge. It is too early to assume that Mayweather now 37 is now in decline, but he is certainly nearing the end of a glittering career of almost unparalleled success. After winning a bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Mayweather turned professional a few months later and quickly confirmed the experts view that this was an exceptionally talented fighter. Within two years, Mayweather won his first world title at super featherweight, going on to win further belts in four more weight divisions and defeating the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Shane Mosley to establish himself as, bar none, the best boxer of his generation. We should certainly appreciate his talents while they are still on display, but there is plenty more to know about Floyd Mayweather than what he has achieved in the ring.
10. He Grew Up Poor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23TFe7V1EEQ Mayweathers insistence on reminding us of his prodigious wealth at every opportunity should come as no great surprise he grew up in difficult circumstances and suffered considerable hardship as a child. Floyd comes from a broken home in New Jersey, where he shared a bedroom with seven other family members and sometimes had to do without hot water or electricity. It was not uncommon for Mayweather to come home from school to see a front yard littered with discarded needles, and he and a friend would perform back flips for residents of a nearby hotel so that they could afford occasional trips to Burger King. Shuttled between his parents and other family members, Mayweather owned just three pairs of trousers, three shirts and one pair of shoes, and woke up every day desperate to go to the gym and earn the tools to unlock a better life.
I watch movies and I watch sport. I also watch movies about sport, and if there were a sport about movies I'd watch that too. The internet was the closest thing I could find.
