There aren't many people on the planet who can say that they've beaten Floyd Mayweather in a fight. He's never lost since turning pro back in 1996 and is going to bring a 47-0 record with him when he climbs into the ring with Manny Pacquiao next month. So you'd think that Bulgarian boxer Serafim Todorov would be proud of what he was able to do during the 1996 Summer Olympics when he beat Mayweather in a semifinal match (you can watch the match in the video above). But when The New York Times caught up with Todorov earlier this week, he revealed that beating Mayweather is actually the biggest regret in his life.
Todorov doesn't regret it because of all the controversy that surrounded it, though. After the match, which Todorov won by a 10-9 decision, Mayweather and the U.S. team filed a formal protest, claiming that Bulgarian judge Emil Jetchev—the Olympics' head of boxing officials at the time—had played a big role in Todorov's win. Rather, Todorov tells the New York Times that he regrets it because of what happened after the match.
According to him, he was approached by several high-profile boxing promoters after his match with Mayweather ended and offered a professional contract. But he didn't sign it. So he says the men approached Mayweather instead and offered him a contract. He doesn't know whether or not Mayweather signed it. But he does know that, almost 20 years later, Mayweather is now the biggest boxer in the world. And Todorov—who lost in the Olympic final and believes Jetchev conspired against him—never got an opportunity to put together a legitimate pro career. So while Mayweather is making millions today, Todorov is living on a pension that pays him just $435 per month.
You can read the entire New York Times piece here. It's crazy to see just how far Todorov has fallen since becoming the last man to beat Mayweather in the ring.
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[via The New York Times]
