Floyd Mayweather is the quintessential sports villain. He’s the guy you love to hate. Whether it’s the well-publicized arrests, horrendously discounting his domestic abuse history as "heresay," shamelessly flaunting his millions on Instagram, or charging $90 for the so-called “Fight of the Century,” Floyd Mayweather has made a lot of enemies over his two-decade career. But rather than eschewing this label, Mayweather embraces—and prospers—off of his bad-boy image. He made over $200 million dollars for his fight against Manny Pacquiao and has a net worth of at least $400 million. The only athletes who have made more are Michael Jordan and Arnold Palmer.
Despite what you see on Instagram and ESPN, there’s more to Mayweather than a bad attitude and hundreds of millions of dollars. His likes, dislikes, and philanthropic activities seem out-of-character for a person nicknamed “Money,” but they are all an important part of the man that is Floyd Mayweather.
Whether you love him or hate him, there’s a lot you may not know about him. These are 23 Things You Didn't Know About Floyd Mayweather.
His middle name is Joy.
He's a Boston sports fan.
His favorite movie is "The Notebook."
“I really like The Notebook,” Mayweather told Yahoo Sports in 2011. “I mean, who don’t want to die next to your better half, holding hands. Die in your sleep next to the woman that you love, holding hands. That way, neither of you will ever be lonely. This is an amazing story. When you get old, what could be more beautiful than that? I feel like if I leave this earth and leave my better half, she is going to be lonely.”
Most guys will never admit it, but The Notebook is a legitimate classic. It’s okay to say it.
He doesn't drink or smoke.
He's boys with Bieber because his daughter's a fan.
Mayweather and Justin Bieber have a well-documented friendship. Bieber has accompanied Mayweather into the ring several times, and the two have even vacationed together—where Bieber helped Mayweather count his cash. 50 Cent claims that this friendship arose and endures because of Mayweather’s daughter, who is a big fan of the Biebs.
Yes, he can read.
He wasn't money on "Dancing With the Stars."
He finished ninth on Dancing With the Stars in 2007.
Floyd Joy Mayweather: An undefeated boxing champion who enjoys Nicholas Sparks movies and ballroom dancing. This is the side of Floyd that doesn’t show up in the media or on his infamous Instagram page.
Mayweather’s prowess on the dance floor proved to be much less domineering than his ring presence. He was the fourth contestant eliminated of the 12 on the show.
He's given food to Las Vegas' homeless population.
Money has a charitable side. A 2009 Yahoo Sports profile documented Mayweather’s philanthropic activities and followed him around Las Vegas as he gave food to the city’s homeless.
Despite the goodwill, he said he does not do this for the publicity—or to change his dubious image.
"I don't go talk to kids and I don't go feed the homeless because I want someone to know about it,” Mayweather said. “I want to do it because I know there's a need and I have the chance to do right. I don't care who knows or who doesn't know. As long as I help the kids and people who need help, that's really what matters.”
He established the Floyd Mayweather Jr. Foundation in 2007.
The charity aims to benefit underprivileged children in the Las Vegas area. Mayweather is the foundation’s director, hiring board members and facilitating fundraising activities.
Obama needed Mayweather's help during his first presidential campaign.
Then-Senator Barack Obama requested a meeting with Mayweather in October 2007 during his first presidential campaign. At the time, the future Commander-in-Chief wanted the support of some elite athletes on the campaign trail, so he successfully sought Mayweather’s endorsement.
If you don't know who he is, he'll tell you.
He doesn't always blast rap in the whip.
Despite Mayweather’s pre-fight playlist, he doesn’t always listen to rap.
“I feel like, you can’t be riding around in a nice rolls Royce Rolls bumping hardcore rap,” Mayweather said to Vibe in 2013. “It just don’t go together.”
Same.
He wants to own a NBA team.
Mayweather’s gambling habits are well-documented on Instagram—he won over $800,000 one weekend last year. But is he considering eschewing gambling in order to buy an NBA team?
“You guys know I like to bet on sports,” Mayweather said in a press conference earlier this year. “But I’m looking forward to stepping back from betting on sports now. I’m looking forward to probably getting into ownership of an NBA team.”
The last boxer to beat him reportedly lives anonymously in Bulgaria.
Serafim Todorov was the last man to beat Mayweather, doing so at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Todorov’s boxing career was over by 2003, and he is currently unemployed in Bulgaria.
Mayweather was paid handsomely to headline "WrestleMania"
He's done some rapping.
Mayweather released “Yep” in 2007, his first and only solo song. It’s about money, cars, guns; pretty much a prelude to what his Instagram page became. The song was used as his walk-out music at Wrestlemania.
He was also featured on the song “Undisputed” by Ludacris in 2009, where he pretty much pulled a Diddy from back in the day, blessing the track a few times with a “yeah, uh-huh."
He loves money.
A fan once asked Mayweather if there was more to life than money. He pondered, thought for a minute, and replied by saying “Yeah, more money.”
He says he could have played in the NBA.
His pre-fight musical tastes are diverse.
Mayweather’s pre-fight favorites include a diverse collection of some of the most mainstream tracks known to man. Highlights include “We are the Champions” by Queen, “Started from the Bottom” by Drake, “Mama Said Knock You Out” by LL Cool J, and “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer.
He's got some dedicated fans.
While Mayweather himself does not have any tattoos, one fan has dedicated an entire back piece to Mayweather. This piece includes three portraits, a “Money Team” logo, MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas in addition to many more Floyd momentos. This does not look like it will age well.
His culinary tastes are anything but fancy.
His personal chef is always on call.
He likes to dress up for Halloween.
This past Halloween, the champ dressed up as one of the characters from the 1995 movie Dead Presidents.
