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Floyd Mayweather flaunts his wealth but he grew up in poverty with addict mum

Source: News Corp Australia Network:
August 28, 2017 at 11:31

FLOYD Mayweather boxed his way to victory in “the money fight” on Saturday and is now tipped to enter a new arena — the billionaire athletes club.

His sensational win over Irish opponent Conor McGregor secured his place in the history books, and not just because Mayweather was estimated to make $375 million from the fight,The Sun reports.

Floyd Mayweather celebrates his 10th round TKO victory over mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor along his dad, Floyd Mayweather Snr, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Picture: John Gurzinski/AFP
Floyd Mayweather celebrates his 10th round TKO victory over mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor along his dad, Floyd Mayweather Snr, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Picture: John Gurzinski/AFPSource:AFP

The boxing legend confirmed himself as the greatest fighter of all-time with a 50-0 record, and has already raked in a staggering $880 million.

This includes lucrative fight endorsements, ticket sales and pay-per-view sales around his performances.

Now Mayweather is poised to join the likes of Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods as the first three athletes to earn more than a $1 billion, according to the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, Leonard Ellerbe.

 

Floyd, who uses the nickname “Money”, certainly has rags to riches story, being raised in abject poverty by a dysfunctional family.

His father was jailed for drug dealing, his mother was a drug addict, and Floyd Joy Sinclair, as he was named at birth, slept in a New Jersey apartment sharing a bedroom with six siblings.

He has previously said: “I was the man in the house from 16. That’s just the way it was.”

There were times when Floyd would come home from school to find heroin needles littering the front garden and there was often no electricity in the flat.

 
 

Help me out with a caption

A post shared by Floyd Mayweather (@floydmayweather) on Sep 25, 2014 at 7:44pm PDT

 

Floyd has said that at Christmas his mother “used to go out and steal presents”.

Looking back on his squalid upbringing, Floyd said: “When people see what I have now, they have no idea where I came from and how I didn’t have anything growing up.

“People don’t know the hell I’ve been through.”

Floyd realised from a young age that his way out from that life was through boxing, and dropped out of high school to concentrate on developing his talent.

Floyd Mayweather hits Conor McGregor in the ninth round of their super welterweight boxing match. Picture: Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP
Floyd Mayweather hits Conor McGregor in the ninth round of their super welterweight boxing match. Picture: Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFPSource:AFP

He said: “I knew I was going to have to try to take care of my mom and I made the decision that school wasn’t that important. I was going to have to box to earn a living.”

But as soon as he started his amateur career, it was obvious he was had a God-given ability and was destined for success.

He won three national Golden Gloves titles and was favourite for featherweight gold at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

But he ended up with a bronze against a Bulgarian in the semi-final, having been the victim of a shocking points decision.

A few months down the line, 19-year-old Floyd made his pro debut in Las Vegas and he quickly raced to eight wins, with a total of six knockouts.

 
 

He had electrifying hand speed, punched powerfully with deadly accuracy and had superb ringcraft.

Boxing was in his blood, with his Uncle Jeff being a pro, Uncle Roger a two-time world champion, and father, Floyd Snr, was a contender good enough to take Sugar Ray Leonard into the tenth and last round before being stopped.

But Floyd would supersede them all and go on to win world titles across five weight divisions and become the richest fighter who ever lived.

Mayweather fight with Conor McGregor was his last bout. Picture: Eric Jamison/AP
Mayweather fight with Conor McGregor was his last bout. Picture: Eric Jamison/APSource:AP

Nowadays ‘Money’ is never shy about flaunting his massive wealth, and has even caused controversy for literally burning money.

Private jets, super cars and images showing his life of excess, are plastered all over his social media accounts.

Mayweather owns two private jets — his 12-seater Gulfstream III has white seats, a fully-stocked kitchen and personalised headrests.

The custom-built plane also has gold cup holders, a gold sink and gold accents throughout.

 
 

He has a hugely expensive watch collection worth around $7.8m.

His extravagant collection includes eight Audermar Piguets, eight Rolexes, two Aximums, three Franck Mullers, one Hulbot Big Bang King and one Rainbow Tourbillion.

His motto appears to be: the more diamond encrusted it is, the better.

He wears new shoes once before leaving them for hotel staff, and also only wears boxer shorts once before throwing them out.

And he is so worried about extra weight in his private jet that he makes his bodyguards fly on a different plane.

Candid Instagram snaps show him relaxing on thousands of dollars worth of notes, which his female pals have kindly laid out on the floor.

 

They go to the strip club. I bring the strip club to me wherever, whenever. #LA www.themoneyteam.com

A post shared by Floyd Mayweather (@floydmayweather) on Dec 21, 2015 at 3:06am PST

 

Mayweather has an array of glitzy pads, too.

He recently bought a $10 million Miami Beach home on the waterfront and owns a $1.95 million house in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, a $3.25 million condo at the Ritz-Carlton Residences in LA and 20,000-square-foot “big boy mansion” in Las Vegas — with features that include a 12-person shower, Fendi light fixtures and a movie theatre.

Mayweather’s wardrobe is filled with Birkin handbags, which can retail for upwards of $3,250 each.

He’s also been spotted in a Louis Vuitton towel and rarely steps outside his home without his heavily jewel-encrusted necklaces.

 
 

Let them tell you how they're living and I'll show you how I'm living. One of my estates. Photo Credit: @ikitchie

A post shared by Floyd Mayweather (@floydmayweather) on Sep 23, 2016 at 2:54pm PDT

His super-fight against Conor McGregor gave him another opportunity to show off the wealth he has accrued.

Shortly after his weigh-in in Las Vegas prior to the fight, Mayweather returned to his home to relax, uploading an Instagram live video of his astonishing array of motors.

Included was a Bugatti Veyron priced at an eye-watering $1.9 million along with a Rolls Royce Phantom, that goes for around $600,000, a red Lamborghini Aventador that trades for $440,000 and a yellow Ferrari 458 that can be snapped up for $340,000.

He reportedly has $18 million worth of motors in his garage that he doesn’t drive.

Now he has officially hung up his gloves, he’ll have plenty of time to enjoy his empire.

This story was originally published in The Sun and is reproduced here with their permission

Originally published as Mayweather’s riches hide dark past

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