This Is How Floyd Mayweather Jr. Became So Rich And Famous

The much-hyped fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor in Las Vegas is the latest in the news. Termed as ‘one-part boxing’ and ‘four parts spectacle,’ chances look bright for Floyd, no doubt.

What seems profitable for both parties is that Saturday night will fetch the fighters huge paychecks for being in the ring for 36 minutes!  So McGregor is likely to clear about $100 million, and Mayweather probably $200 million, which should make his career earnings a tad close to the $1 billion marks.

Was The Split The ‘Game Changer’?

The story of the road taken to achieve this is a long one. Thanks to quick, ‘shrewd’ marketing tactics and a $750000 bet on himself- he did all he could to rise to the apex of success. Not that he put everything on himself inside the ring, given the notorious gambler he was.

However, the split from Bob Arum, his Hall of fame promoter a decade back, made a major difference. Mayweather realized he had potentials aplenty that he could utilize to make more, rather than being under someone who had also promoted Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya, and Muhammad Ali, to name a few.

How Did It All Start?

So it was in the ‘Pretty Boy’ moniker that Arum had promoted Floyd in the first decade of his professional career. This was just after the 1996 Summer Olympics, where the partnership became a real success after Mayweather stood indomitable and kept earnings paychecks that increased with a tie. Straight wins 17 times, and then he won the first title in 1998 when he had beaten Genaro Hernandez and received $150000.

Against Arturo Gatti and Zab Judah, he had won in 2005 and 2006 respectively, and earned values of 365000 and 375000! Unimaginable as it may sound, but Floyd’s paycheck stayed consistent in the $3 million range. But of course, he wanted more. He had the opt-out clause in the Top Rank contract with a payment of $750000 as a part of the 2006 deal.

How Did He Become Unstoppable?

What started as ‘Pretty Boy’ moved to ‘Money Mayweather,’ largely after he began his own promotion company. One of the classic showmen was even made appearances in WrestleMania and Dancing with the Stars. With social media determining popularity these days, Mayweather did his best to secure a fan following that currently exceeds more than 37 million followers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. But this charm wouldn’t have enticed had he not been a visionary himself. He was capable enough to materialize his dreams and make his brand ascend to the next level.

Finally, Mayweather’s paychecks kept escalating after he declared and answered for himself. First was the $25 million amount that happened after winning over Oscar De La Hoya in 2007. This smashed all records PPV buys with no less than 2.48 million. ‘Mayweather Promotions’ became exemplary in pulling all such revenue streams via Mayweather, sans any middleman. Later, he signed a six-fight deal, a blockbuster indeed, in 2012 with Showtime.

Right since the time he started with his career, Mayweather was heavily into HBO. So when showtime proposed an offer, he did not refuse and thereby built a competitor to HBO in boxing. That pact put him straight at $32 million per fight! Not to miss out, he had the PPT receipts’ share. But this deal was one of the most lucrative in sports history. The Canelo fight that happened in September 2013 broke all such records for PPV revenue with a record $153 million. Mayweather gained $41.5 million, in addition to $30 million from the revenue cut.

Making A Fresh Return Is No Mean Feat

In 2015, Mayweather retired after the deal with Showtime got over. But once again, he would be back in the ring on Saturday for his “second nine-figure payday.”

Now, if the fight turns out to be a massive hit as most people project, his career earnings will reach $1 billion. He would be in the same level as legendary athletes like Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Michael Schumacher, and Michael Jordan.

As of 2021, Mayweather’s estimated net worth stands at a staggering $450 million. He is currently working on a new home in Beverly Hills, California, which cost him around $500,000. He has an enormous car collection too. What more can one ask for?