Fansided

30 little-known facts about Floyd Mayweather Jr.

By Zachary Alapi

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 14: Floyd Mayweather Jr. reacts to the crowd during the Floyd Mayweather Jr. v Conor McGregor World Press Tour event at SSE Arena on July 14, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 14: Floyd Mayweather Jr. reacts to the crowd during the Floyd Mayweather Jr. v Conor McGregor World Press Tour event at SSE Arena on July 14, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) /
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24. Mayweather’s first bogus retirement came in 2007

Much has been made of Floyd Mayweather Jr. coming out of retirement to face Conor McGregor in what promises to be one of the most lucrative fights in the history of combat sports. Mayweather toying with the sporting public, though, is an established tradition, with his latest faux-retirement coming following a 2007 stoppage of Ricky Hatton.

At the time, Mayweather actually turned down a $20 million dollar-plus payday to rematch Oscar De La Hoya. His record stood at 39-0 with 25 knockouts at the time, and it’s odd to think about Mayweather actually walking away from boxing at that point given his last 10 fights have seen him shatter every financial record in a traditionally lucrative sport for those rare few who manage to become crossover stars.

Here’s Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s retirement statement, which ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael included in his 2008 report on the stunning news:

"“It is with a heavy heart that I write you this message today,” Mayweather said in a statement. “I have decided to permanently retire from boxing. This decision was not an easy one for me to make as boxing is all I have done since I was a child. However, these past few years have been extremely difficult for me to find the desire and joy to continue in the sport. “I have said numerous times and after several of my fights over the past two years that I might not fight again. At the same time, I loved competing and winning and also wanted to continue my career for the fans, knowing they were there for me and enjoyed watching me fight. However, after many sleepless nights and intense soul-searching I realized I could no longer base my decision on anything but my own personal happiness, which I no longer could find. So I have finally made up my mind, spoken to my family, particularly my mother, and made my decision.”"

Like nearly any elite fighter’s early retirement, it certainly didn’t stick. And now, thanks to Mayweather gaming the system and pushing financial boundaries to uncharted territory, we’re currently saddled with the metaphorical bank robbery that Mayweather-McGregor will surely be.

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