High risk, high reward. Floyd Mayweather‘s bet on himself turned the tables in his favor when he decided to walk out of his contract with Top Rank in 2006. The money-spinning boxer had been with Top Rank for 10 years and let Bob Arum, the CEO, direct his career. Though Mayweather was only getting richer and stayed undefeated while with the agency, the event made Mayweather the richest boxer in history as he made 1.2 billion dollars in his career. A video of his interview has recently resurfaced, which explains what compelled him to take such a drastic decision and change his life for the better.
Floyd Mayweather’s biggest gamble
The contract ensured a win-win situation for both parties with Mayweather conquering every bout and fattening his wallet. His first two pay-per-view fights against Arturo Gatti and Zab Judah had generated $365,0000 and $375,000 respectively. The champion is ambitious and hence, wanted more.
“See, when you don’t wake up when you want to, then guess what? Somebody’s controlling you and I don’t wanna be controlled cause I wanna be my own boss. That’s why I paid 750,000 to get out my contracts and in three fights, I made 750 million” Mayweather felt suffocated due to the control that Top Rank exercised over him. The undefeated legend believed he could do better than what the agency churned out for him. Abiding by the opt-out clause in the contract, Mayweather paid $750,000 to the company and succeeded in making a whooping $750,000,000 in his next three fights. The boxer had his freedom back now and was also making more money than ever.
Though the boxer retired in 2017, he has curbed fans’ disappointment by engaging in exhibition fights which also guarantees him easy money. He has promised five fights this year across five different countries. Mayweather started with Aaron Chalmers, beating him in February, and moved to John Gotti III. This fight ended with the referee calling for an early end to the fight owing to Gotti’s use of rough tactics. One of these exhibition fights might also see a clash between Mayweather and the YouTube star, Jake Paul.
The legend not only floors his opponents in the ring but also can use his wits to change the game outside. He has also remained active and relevant even after retirement and continues to put up a good show for the fans. Who would you want to see with him in the ring next? Let us know the names in the comments.
