Mayweather topped the Forbes and Sports Illustrated lists of the 50 highest-paid athletes of 2012 and 2013, and the Forbes list again in 2014, listing Mayweather as the highest paid athlete in the world. Mayweather's father contends that Floyd is not telling the truth about their early relationship. "Even though his daddy did sell drugs, I didn't deprive my son", the elder Mayweather says. "The drugs I sold, he was a part of it. He had plenty of food. He had the best clothes and I gave him money. He didn't want for anything. Anybody in Grand Rapids can tell you that I took care of my kids". Floyd senior says he did all of his hustling at night and spent his days with his son, taking him to the gym and training him to be a boxer. "If it wasn't for me he wouldn't be where he is today", he maintains. "I basically raised myself," Mayweather says. "My grandmother did what she could. When she got mad at me I'd go to my mom's house. My life was ups and downs". His father says he knows how much pain his incarceration caused his son, but insists he did the best he could. "I sent him to live with his grandmother", he says. "It wasn't like I left him with strangers". Boxing became Mayweather's outlet – a way to deal with his father's absence.[citation needed] As the elder Mayweather served his time his son – with speed and an uncanny ring sense – put all his energies into boxing, dropping out of high school. "I knew that I was going to have to try to take care of my mom and I made the decision that school wasn't that important at the time and I was going to have to box to earn a living", Mayweather says.
| Floyd Mayweather, Jr. |
|---|
 |
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|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Floyd Mayweather, Jr. |
| Nickname(s) | Pretty Boy Money TBE (The Best Ever) |
| Rated at | Super featherweight (130 lb) Lightweight (135 lb) Light welterweight (140 lb) Welterweight (147 lb) Light middleweight (154 lb) |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Reach | 72 in (183 cm) |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | February 24, 1977 Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 47 |
| Wins | 47 |
| Wins by KO | 26 |
| Losses | 0 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
