Sporting Legends: Floyd Mayweather

On Saturday May the 4th he defeated Robert Gurrero to retain the WBC Welterweight championship of the world and take his career record to 44 wins and 0 losses. Mayweather has won 8 world titles in 5 different weight classes. You don?t have to be a boxing fan to admire an athlete who is undefeated for the whole 17 years of his profession! I bet no one can name a current sports star who holds that accolade? Now 36 years old, Mayweather signed a money spinning 6 fight contract with CBS/prime time sport, cementing his place as the highest paid sportsman in the world. His last fight with Gurrero earned him a guaranteed minimum of $31 million...not bad for 36 mins work in the ring! However in saying that, no other athlete trains harder than Floyd Mayweather. During his preparation for a fight he regularly trains 3 times a day with some training sessions completed through the night. He says it gives him a psychological edge knowing he's training when his rival is sleeping. During sparring sessions with fighters he?ll spar 5-6mins a round (a normal boxing round lasts 3 minutes) and spar for 15-20 rounds a session (a championship boxing fight is 12 rounds) . During his sparring sessions he?ll fight a couple of guys meaning he?s up against a fresher, stronger opponent with a different style every 3-4 rounds. Add all this to the endless weight sessions, road running, speed bag, pad work, and skipping, as well as taking punches, he surely has to be regarded as one of fittest sportsman on the planet. You?ll often hear Mayweather shout his motto “hard work, dedication” during his training sessions motivating himself to train as hard as possible. A sportsman who?s dedicated his entire life to his profession. He doesn?t drink, doesn?t take recreational or performance enhancement drugs, which are some of the many reasons why he?s managed to stay on top for so long. If you're interested in finding out more about Mayweather, check out this documentary about his life.