Floyd Mayweather Transitioning to Life After Boxing
Photos from Instagram training videos.
Despite Mayweather's many great achievements, he still continues to set new goals for himself. Retired athletes are often seen as ideal candidates to become athletic trainers, as the job makes for a logical continuation for an athlete’s career after retiring. This logical continuation often becomes controversial when the retired athlete is one who achieved the highest ranks that the sport has to offer. Many believe the average sportsman becomes a trainer after retirement in order to make a living, but that is not the case with Mayweather, as he has more money than many in his profession could fathom. Mayweather has other inventions out of his newfound career. Has there ever been a world-class fighter who doesn’t possess a spirit of adventure? Those who found a career in boxing are often seen as more courageous because not everyone is ready to risk his life for victory on the battlefield, and Mayweather is arguably the most courageous of them all.
Vita In Motu. Life is in motion.— Sundial mot
Photo: britishmuseum.org
While growing up, Mayweather looked up to both his father and uncle as role models. Both men found their niche in professional boxing, and both went on to become trainers, as well. Considering the roles that they both were able to play in Floyd’s life, it should come as no surprise that he decided to follow in their footsteps.
Considering the fact that he was born in a boxing family, it can be implied that both nature and nurture created the required abilities for Floyd to become the fighter that he is today.
The most interesting aspect of Mayweather’s boxing style is the way it was shaped. When on the topic of Mayweather’s fighting style, it is important to again mention both his father, who taught him defense, and uncle, who taught him offense. Despite fighting among a variety of different weight classes, Mayweather still boasts a pristine 50-0 record. Furthermore, Mayweather was able to use his orthodox stance to the best of his abilities, giving him a leg up on his challengers. The stance generally favors the stronger, dominant side (right side in Mayweather’s case) and the advantages it created for him were clear as it often required other boxers to abandon their stance in order to attack.
The Orthodox Stance
Photos from: Ussporthistory & Mightyfighter
Patience is incredibly important to anyone who attempts to use the orthodox stance, and that is what made Mayweather the champion fighter that he became. He was able to successfully dodge and evade from his opponents punches while using his momentum to catch them with quick powerful heaves. The stance allowed Mayweather to use defensive tactics with the combination counter-punching strategy, which is a huge reason that he found the unbelievable success that he did.
“We are twice armed if we fight with faith.” -Plato
It is important to consider all aspects of Mayweather’s background to understand his motives in becoming a professional trainer. The core values of philosophy can be related to any aspect of life, fighting included. Civil rights activist Cesar Chavez perfectly summed up the relationship between the two, saying, “The fight is never about grapes or lettuce. It is always about people.”
Photo from Youtube.com
In the case of Floyd Mayweather, fight career was one that was built through his strong bond within his own family. They supported him during this path and in turn he was able to provide for them as well. During a 2017 interview with Steve Harvey Mayweater said, “I gave the sport of Boxing my whole life. I dedicated my whole life to the sport of Boxing and all I wanted to do is to put my family in a comfortable position.” It is evident that Mayweather was able to accomplish that goal during his impressive career, and now he is on to the next step.
Written by: Narek Gasparyan