Five-weight world champion Floyd Mayweather has been named Fighter of the Decade from 2010 to 2019 by the World Boxing News.
The undefeated boxing legend lost to Manny Pacquiao in that recognition back in the 2000-2009 decade but there is no stopping him this time after setting a 50-0 record in the ring.
After defeating Shane Mosley in 2010, the American boxer landed a six-fight contract under Showtime, and went on to obliterate the likes of Miguel Cotto, Canelo Alvarez, and Victor Ortiz, while earning eye-popping fight purses that made the sport more centered with money.
In 2015, Mayweather Jr. scored the biggest victory of his career to date by surviving Pacquiao in an instant 12-round classic.
Two years after, he starred in the biggest crossover fight in history alongside Conor McGegor, where he reportedly took home a whopping $100 million payday.
With a solid run in the last decade, beating eight world champions, and for his huge impact to the sport, WBN awarded Mayweather Jr the Fighter of the Decade honor.
Highest Earner
Aside from the Fighter of the Decade recognition, Mayweather also topped the list of highest earning athletes by Forbes.
‘Money’ fought in just 10 boxing bouts since 2010 before appearing in an exhibition fight in Japan against Tenshin Nakusawa under RIZIN Fighting Federation.
From these outings, the 42-year old legend amassed a total of $915 million earnings, making him the highest earner across all sports, surpassing the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and LebBron James.
“I’ve got calls to get back into the ring, but my health is my wealth,” Mayweather said in an interview with Reuters.
“Boxing is a very, very brutal sport. In the last few years a lot of fighters have died inside that squared circle.”
Going Down With The Greats
WBN’s decision to name Mayweather Jr as the Fighter of the Decade did not sit well with Bob Arum.
The Top Rank CEO said the recognition should go to no less than the Filipino champion, who remains an active fighter at 41 years old.
“Fighter of the decade? I say Manny Pacquiao… because of [his] body of work throughout the decade, when he fought regularly; he fought all those fighters,” Arum told The Manila Times.
“He was the one guy that [during] the years that Mayweather retired or didn’t fight – he carried the sport. I don’t even think it is close; I don’t think anybody can compare to Manny as fighter of the decade.”
“It is still Manny Pacquiao fighting.”
“And that’s the important thing whether he’s fighting for Top Rank or fighting for another promotion, it’s still Manny Pacquiao in the ring.”
“Clearly, he’s the fighter of the decade. Manny Pacquiao belongs to the greats and will go down with the greats.”
(Featured Image Source: Instagram/ Floyd Mayweather)