Floyd Mayweather: From the Fight of the Century to retirement, we look back at the last 12 months
Thursday 24 December 2015 11:00, UK
2015 was the year Floyd Mayweather finally called it a day - we look back at the last 12 months in his amazing life in and out of the ring.
From the Fight of the Century to his retirement in September, the man called 'Money' lived up to his nickname and still remains the world's most famous boxer.
He is never far from the headlines so here is a look back at the events, issues and interesting facts from Mayweather's last 12 months...
January
Mayweather barely had time to enjoy the New Year celebrations before Amir Khan and Manny Pacquiao called him out.
Khan in particular had been publicly - and socially - chasing him for a while, but Mayweather was proving hard to catch, especially when he showed off his seven cars worth $6.37m and his private jet.
Pacquiao had flown a little further, over to London where he bumped into Khan, but before the month was out, the meeting we all wanted to see took place. Mayweather and Pacquiao both went to watch the Miami Heat and even if you were not a basketball fan, it had the world of boxing bouncing.
After an hour-long meeting in private, the world's favourite fighters seemed certain it was going to happen.
Welcome to my toy world! Who wants to come out & play?
February
And the world began to believe them when February started with a meeting between the two fighters and their respective pay-per-view partners, Showtime for Mayweather and HBO for Pacquiao.
Mayweather told us he had set up the chat, and it was not long before Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum was making positive noises: two of four outstanding issues, we were told, had been solved. Could an announcement be imminent?
So it proved. On February 19, via social media @shots, Mayweather confirmed the Fight Of The Century would happen on May 2 in Las Vegas.
The contract was signed and the countdown had begun.
March
A press conference was announced for March 3 and boxing's two biggest stars showed up suited and booted. Floyd got there first with the mind games, suggesting Pacquiao's two recent defeats would affect him come fight night.
And that was about as edgy as it got as the fighters, in the same room for the last time until fight week, came together for a face-off among the most mediocre and staged we'd seen in a long time.
A five-year delay in making the fight was mentioned, the thorny subject of drug testing never far from the surface, but with the talking done for now Mayweather went into camp.
Back from the wilderness came video bulletins showing the champ chopping wood, Rocky-style, and apologies to the fans he didn't have time to stop and sign autographs for.
But would they be able to buy tickets for May 2? One thing was certain, if you wanted to watch it over here in the UK, Sky Sports Box Office was the only place - with none other than Mayweather owning the international rights!
We tried to make this fight happen in the past. The teams kept bumping heads because of random blood and urine testing, then about being the A-side and who's going to be the B-side
April
With less than a month until fight night the rivals took part in the first official promotional video. Strictly business, and no smiles, although Money might have been tempted to give the world a glimpse of his specially-commissioned gum shield - designed at a cost of around £16,800.
And if you had that kind of cash to spare, you might just have been able to get your hands on a ticket for the main event. They went on sale less than two weeks before the fight - for three, four, five and probably even six-figure sums. The trouble was we were told they went in just 60 seconds but they were still not sold until nine days before the fight.
For the thriftier fan out there, entrance to the weigh-in cost $10, with all the proceeds going to charity.
The public workouts came and went with Mayweather looking as fast as ever and Pacquiao full of smiles. But even Manny's legendary good humour might have been tested by Mayweather declaring himself a better fighter than Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson.
He also told the world his last fight would be in September, but it was his next fight on everyone's minds...
May
The first day of the month drew a packed-out crowd at the weigh-in, with old school rapper Doug E Fresh hosting the occasion, fans flocking to the front and Freddie Roach taking selfies up on the stage. Mayweather was heavier by a pound, but he turned down the offer of a handshake.
By the time the fight came around, all the clubs and bars selling closed circuit TV had sold out, and ringside seemed reserved for celebrities and fighters . From Robert De Niro to Sting, from Jay Z and Beyonce to Michael J Fox to Denzel Washington, and from Mike Tyson to Sugar Ray Leonard, the world of celebrity was watching.
Back in Pacquiao's native Philippines fight fans were told to switch off their fridges off to cope with the power surge when their hero made his ringwalk. The occasion overshadowed the action, with Mayweather's masterclass taking a unanimous decision, 116-112, 118-110, 116-112.
Pacquiao was convinced he had won, and the scoring row would continue, but the news that he had damaged a rotator cuff in the build-up didn't do him any favours or earn him any sympathy.
Mayweather, meanwhile, ended the month doing what he does best, making money. A cool $350,000 bet on American sport saw him walk away with another $827,272.73!
When the history books are written, it was worth the wait.
June
It was holiday time for the first two weeks - betting, travelling around the States and perhaps counting his cash: initial reports from joint broadcasters Showtime and HBO revealed the Pacquiao pay-per-view sales hit 4.4m, bringing in $400m and smashing the previous best set in 2007 when Mayweather beat Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya.
Small wonder Mayweather topped Forbes' rich list with a $300m income over the year, leaving Pacquiao ($160) and Cristiano Ronaldo ($79.6) trailing in his wake.
Talk soon turned to potential opponents for that 49th fight in September, and it became apparent Amir Khan's latest attempts at earning a shot would end in more heartbreak.
The dates and the opponents were narrowed down to two each, if you believed the rumours. September 5 or 12, and a meeting with either Karim Mayfield or Andre Berto.
July
Mayweather briefly revisited the Pacquiao fight to poke fun at the Filipino, slapping a dummy of his beaten rival and questioning his claim of a shoulder injury.
After taking time out to celebrate Independence Day like a true American, Floyd made a public announcement about his future: September 12 would be the night he walked away from boxing.
Who would be his final opponent? We still weren't sure, although an eight-week training camp suggested he might not be choosing the toughest test out there.
Whoever the chosen one might be, there would be only two belts on the line as the WBO stripped Mayweather 10 weeks after he'd won its title for the first time in his illustrious career.
To my fans, your loyalty and support has given me the best 20 years I could ask for and while at the top, I plan to go out on top…. see you back in the ring September 12th!
August
Four days in and five weeks out, Mayweather revealed the identity of his final foe: Andre Berto, the former world champion beaten in three of his six most recent fights.
If that choice baffled some, many more took issue with the self-proclaimed 'Best Ever''s list of his five all-time top fighters.
No 1? Floyd himself, naturally, with Roberto Duran, Pernell Whitaker, Julio Cesar Chaves and Muhammad Ali making up the five. The Greatest, he said, had only fought at one weight.
Back in camp Mayweather was quiet, leaving adviser Leonard Ellerbe to confirm his retirement plan was genuine. If all went well, he would quit with a 49-0 record, matching that of the great Rocky Marciano.
Mayweather let the cameras in for his usual media workout in the last week of the month and arrived in his latest set of wheels: The Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita, the world's most expensive car at US $4.8m.
September
We're used to seeing Mayweather courtside at basketball, but September saw him turn to tennis to offer Serena Williams some rare support as she chased a calendar Grand Slam of major titles. "Records are there to be broken," he said. Before she lost.
Defeat wasn't on the Money agenda as we entered fight week, and even his rivals seemed sure of another win as Kell Brook accused him of playing it safe in selecting Berto.
The challenger showed willing at the weigh-in, a push and a shove showing his intent, but his early aggression between the ropes failed to prevent a unanimous decision for Mayweather even wider than the Pacquiao scoring: 120-108, 117-111, 118-110.
Not a vintage performance, maybe, but Mayweather sank to his knees to call time on an undefeated career, and the record books showed 49 fights without so much as a knockdown (a near-miss against Shane Mosley in 2010 as close as he got).
I'm close to 40 years old, I've been in this sport 19 years, been world champion for 18 years, I've broken all records. There's nothing left to prove in the sport of boxing.
October
The first time in at least a few weeks that there wasn't much talk about a Pacquiao rematch. Pac-Man's last fight will be in April 2016, according to promoter Bob Arum, so the Filipino will walk away from the sport a step behind the world's best.
The Money Team fighter Ashley Theophane admits he wants to see his boss in the ring again but is happy enough to be given a Chrysler 300 sports car for his contributions to sparring sessions in the run-up to the Berto bout.
It was holiday time again for Mayweather, and this time he was hanging out with his mate Justin Bieber. The unlikely pairing travelled to Bora-Bora and French Polynesia in the South Pacific. All he needed to say on Instagram was: "Enjoying the retired life."
Mayweather was back in time for a Halloween party, for which he sported a Dead Presidents costume. Needless to say, the photos went viral.
November
Pacquiao finally gave up the ghost and left Mayweather off a list of four possible opponents for his final fight, but 'Money' didn't have to wait long until a new rival emerged. Enter Adrien Broner. 'The Problem' had been critical of the Money Team and Mayweather finally bit back.
He doesn't regard his one-time friend a true world champion - even though he beat Khabib Allakhverdiev to take the vacant WBA super-lightweight strap - and the fall-out appears to be genuine. Broner has some bridges to build but he is unlikely to do that when he goes in with TMT member Theophane early next year.
Freddie Roach called Mayweather out on Miguel Cotto's behalf, but Mayweather was more interesting in celebrating outside the ring.
He gave his son Koraun a Bentley worth about £30,000 on his 16th birthday and with Thanksgiving on the 26th, Mayweather and his personal cook Chef Q, treated TMZ to a menu costing $1,000 per plate. A 25lb turkey was the highlight of the free lunch for the 50 guests expected at Mayweather's mansion.
Everything is under the same umbrella when it's all said and done. If you saying, '*** Al Haymon,' you saying, '*** Floyd Mayweather!
December
Mayweather started the month breaking another boxing record. He flew into Moscow, Russia for an open workout, with 791 people involved. Kids were able to get in the ring with him and around 3,000 locals were present.
Guinness were on hand to confirm he had broken a record that was set in London in 2014.
It was the second round of a mini world tour, with Air Mayweather taking him to 13 places in as many days. He started in Keflavik, Iceland then after Moscow, hit Budapest, Istanbul, Nice, Monte Carlo, St Tropez, Rome, Milan, Dubai, Cairo and Shannon.
While in Dubai, Mayweather took on the world's highest zip line from the world's tallest building.
He won. Naturally.
