Master of ring built unrivalled money-generating brand

Floyd Mayweather

Floyd Mayweather enjoyed sporting success like few before him in boxing and became the single most powerful figure in earning potential and capacity in sport in the decade. Perhaps in any era.

The boxer and the brand built simultaneously with his bad-boy reputation, unbeaten record and a distinctive defensive style. He was unique, brilliant – an artist who belongs in the top 10 greatest boxers of all time.

He also marketed himself superbly. Leaving the sport unbeaten at 50-0 – though there is a proposed comeback in 2020 – simply capped off an incredible career which saw him amass world titles in five weight divisions. In 2018, Mayweather told me something of his motivations. “It was a very long journey but I’ve had a very strong team and people who believed in me,” he said. “My grandmother believed, my father believed, both of my uncles believed. My mother believed. But before anyone believed in me I had to believe in myself. I had to push myself.”

His impregnability as a boxing master, and his unparalleled use of social media to underline his brand, established him as a force of nature who operated at the pinnacle of elite sport as the internet exploded. Without the burgeoning use of social media, “Money” Mayweather would never have become so rich, so decorated, such a colossus in the sporting arena.

But Mayweather’s reach has also sustained the sport for the past 10 years. Streetwise and smart, Mayweather exists as an operator on the factory floor, yet also in the boardroom, showing impeccable timing both inside and outside the ring. Over time, Mayweather generated approximately 23million pay-per-view buys and $42billion (£32billion) in revenue for the Las Vegas economy, surpassing the likes of former attractions, including Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao. For a decade, the boxer has brought in a residual earning capacity which is unlikely ever to be matched. It runs into billions of dollars. Mayweather has been involved in the four biggest pay-per-view boxing events of all time, against Pacquiao, De La Hoya, Saul Alvarez and Conor Mcgregor.

The event pitching Mayweather against Pacquiao in 2015 grossed close to a staggering $700 million (£534 million). Those who hated Mayweather at first, with his crass outbursts and rude ebullience, have often ended up admiring him for his artistry and his ability to do it his way. Spend time around Mayweather and his charisma is tangible. He can turn it on – the smile, the focus – but that can change to something wilder, and more emotional, in an instant.

Like Muhammad Ali, Mayweather transcends his sport in so many ways, and dominated his era.