2015 was a pretty good year for Floyd Mayweather Jr.
In the last 12 months, Floyd defeated his arch nemesis, Manny Pacquiao, became the highest paid athlete for the 3rd time in the last 4 years, and retired from the sport of boxing with an unblemished record.
Not too bad for the soon to be 39-year-old, retired fighter out of Grand Rapids, Michigan who was once believed to be incapable of being a top draw in the sport by none other than Top Rank founder and CEO Bob Arum.
Floyd can now add another accolade to his seemingly never ending list of achievements; TBV Fighter of the Year.
Mayweather(49-0-0, 26 KO) finished the year of 2015 with a record of 2-0, with victories over Manny Pacquiao and Andre Berto both by 12 round unanimous decision, and placing number one on every media outlets top pound for pound rankings before his retirement.
Floyd opened his 2015 campaign with a little thing called “The Fight of the Century” against Manny Pacquiao- maybe you heard of it?
Actually, chances are if you are reading this then you were likely responsible, in part, for the 4.6 million PPV buys the fight accumulated. This number shattered the previous record of 2.5 million PPV buys held by Mayweather’s 2007 clash with Oscar De La Hoya and helped bring boxing back into the mainstream(even if only for a little while) and consciousness of the casual sports fan.
The fight would go on to generate around 410 million dollars in total revenue, making it the biggest money fight in the history of combat sports, with Floyd taking in a record estimation of at least 220 million.
On May 2, 2015, boxing was back to the forefront of the sports world which is a feat that should not be overlooked in the midst of the NBA playoffs and Kentucky Derby.
Mayweather would prove that he was not only the number 1 money draw in the sport but would also display to the millions watching at home and the almost 17,000 in attendance at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, that he was also clearly the number 1 fighter in the ring as well.
From the opening bell, Mayweather dictated the pace with precise movement and an impressive jab which he used throughout the fight to keep Pacquiao out of range. When the smoke cleared it was a rather dominating performance cementing Floyd’s status as the best fighter in the sport. Personally, I scored the fight 118-110 which was on par with what the judges saw as well with scores of 118-110, 116-112, 116-112 culminating in a unanimous decision victory for Floyd “Money” Mayweather.
Although not the exciting fight many casual fans were expecting to see, Floyd’s performance was nothing short of spectacular. Hardcore boxing fans know what Floyd does best which is hit and not get hit. The sweet science. Mayweather did just that on May 2, limiting Pacquiao to only 81 total punches landed compared to Floyd’s 148.
His precise counter punching and effective movement helped to contribute to Pacquiao only connecting on 19% of his total punches according to Compubox.
An even more dominating stat, perhaps, was Floyd holding Manny to only 429 total punches thrown, which is a number way below Manny’s recent average of around 860 punches thrown per 12 rounds. In fact, Floyd threw 435 punches, making him the busier fighter in the ring.
An extraordinary fighter made to look ordinary in the ring. That just doesn’t happen to the number 2 pound for pound fighter in the world unless the man in the other corner is simply the best fighter in the world and Mayweather proved just that with the eyes of the sports world watching.
Mayweather followed up his record-breaking performance with a rather mundane(no not the fighter) victory over former two-time welterweight champion Andre Berto on September 12, 2015.
It was another outstanding performance but paled in comparison to the matchup against Pacquiao and failed to generate the interest usually garnered by a Mayweather fight. None the less Floyd cruised to a wide unanimous decision with final scores of 120-108, 118-110, and 117-111 proving Floyd’s dominance over his opponents in the 24 rounds of boxing he participated in for 2015.
Mayweather announced his retirement in the ring after defeating Berto, walking away from the sport tying Rocky Marciano’s record of 49 wins without a single defeat.
Love him or hate him, Floyd Mayweather has helped carry the sport of boxing for the last decade and no other year during that span has boxing been given as much press and attention than in 2015.
Floyd Mayweather’s retirement doesn’t mean boxing’s newfound attention has to retire as well.
Floyd’s retirement from the sport perhaps has as much to do with him receiving this award as his two victories this year do, as he has now provided boxing fans a gift of opening up one of the best divisions in the sport.
The welterweight division is exploding with an abundance of talent from Keith “One Time” Thurman, Timothy Bradley, Shawn Porter, Kell Brook, Amir Khan, Danny Garcia, etc. Throw in budding prospect Errol Spence Jr. and the eventual move up of last year’s BWAA Fighter of the Year Terrence Crawford, and the amount of terrific matchup’s seems endless.
The division that has been locked down by Mayweather for almost a decade is now up for grabs and it is us the fans who get to benefit from watching this competitive group of fighters face each other to see who can rise to the top and become Floyd’s successor.
Floyd has helped provide fighters with an audience now it’s up to boxing’s future stars to keep fans tuned in.
Mayweather, a two-time BWAA fighter of the year winner(2007, 2013), beat out deserving candidates for the TBV writing staff Fighter of the Year which include: Tyson Fury, Gennady Golovkin, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, among others.
Mayweather proved to have the best win, in the biggest fight, with the most significant impact to the sport with both his victories and his retirement.
In the end, 2015 was another typical, yet spectacular year for Floyd Mayweather Jr. Business as usual.
Floyd’s 2015 has brought closure to the boxing landscape that it desperately needed. No more debates on who is the best of the past decade, no more name calling, no more who’s next? The future is now! 2016 is calling. Who will step up and answer the call to take the reigns of TBV Fighter of the year 2016?
The possibilities of tomorrow are endless, but for 2015, it was just another victory for Floyd Mayweather Jr.
As the book closes on another year, a Hall of Fame career, too, turns its final page. One filled with hard work, dedication, and a lot of dollar bills.
**EDITOR’S NOTE**
Thaboxingvoice is a multiplatform news/entertainment outlet dedicated to bringing you regional, coast-to-coast, and international coverage from the boxing world. Although our twice weekly podcast elected to have its own award show, we at TBV have a dedicated and supremely knowledgeable staff with talents ranging in several areas of expertise. Thus, the following article is the representation of the staff dedicated to TBV’s website.
Some of the picks may not line up with those announced on TBV’s live radio show/podcast, this is both intentional and inevitable. The voting panel was made up of a completely different set of panelist compared to that of the show (with the exception of one voter). The voting process was comprised of a point system based on a multi-selection ballot.
