5 hours Ago By Ben Davies
Floyd Mayweather made a huge statement in just his fifth professional fight, flooring his opponent in under two minutes. Mayweather is a legend of the sport with his skillset one of the rarest to have ever be seen in the squared circle. He carried sensational fast hands, elite defensive nous, and one-of-a-kind ring generalship, which saw him outbox a star-studded list of elite technical operators.
But he was not known for his formidable punching power, although he did stop 27 of his 50 opponents during his time in the professional ranks. And at the opening stages of his professional career, it was a surprising stoppage run which saw his name thrown into the spotlight. In his fifth fight, Mayweather was searching for his fourth stoppage in a showdown with Kino Rodriguez in 1997.
Rodriguez had been stopped just twice prior to facing 'TBE', but the American showed why his reputation was growing with every punch. Mayweather looked as pumped up as ever as his name was announced, bouncing up and down on his toes as a real man on a mission. And the frantic tempo he set from the opening bell was simply irresistible, particularly for Rodriguez who tried desperately to get an early foothold.
Mayweather's incredible feinting movements and regular output were simply too much for Rodriguez, who could barely lay a glove on the eventual legend. And the stunning moment came with just a minute and a half gone in the opener, as he unloaded a series of crushing left hands which clipped the temple of his opponent. He immediately felt the shots and crumbled to the seat of his fight shorts on the canvas.
Mayweather who was full of ruthless energy barged in and stood over his opponent who was trying to recover on the floor, before the referee dragged him away. He was able to climb to his feet but the referee gave Rodriguez one look and the fighter shook his head. The contest was waved off and Mayweather's celebration was a sign of extreme motivation, as he charged towards his opponent shouting.
The rising star then jumped on to the ropes and celebrated to the crowd, clearly delighted with the outcome. It was an early sign that Mayweather could be a frightening talent, particularly given his sensational amateur pedigree. But little could have guessed it would have lead to one of the most unprecedented dominant streaks in boxing history.
Mayweather went on a 17-fight unbeaten run before getting his first world title shot, which he capitalised on one year later to beat Genaro Hernandez and capture the WBC super-featherweight title. It was the first of many as he went on to win 15 major world title belts in five weight classes. He beat some fellow legends in the sport, with his resume a who's who of talent including Oscar De La Hoya, Canelo Alvarez and in his biggest career bout against Manny Pacquiao .
In his final fight in 2017, Mayweather defeated UFC superstar Conor McGregor in a mega-money crossover bout which saw him round off his career as 50-0 undefeated. The great became a real icon of the sport, and one of the biggest names to have ever graced the ring. He generated in excess of $1.
2 billion in total earnings from his career, a generational wealth that he continues to grow and invest to this day..
