Roger Mayweather
| Roger Mayweather | |
|---|---|
 Mayweather in 2010 | |
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Roger L. Mayweather |
| Nickname(s) | Black Mamba |
| Rated at | Junior welterweight |
| Nationality | American |
| Born |
April 24, 1961 Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 72 |
| Wins | 59 |
| Wins by KO | 35 |
| Losses | 13 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
Roger Mayweather (born April 24, 1961) is a retired professional boxer. He won two major world titles in two different weight classes. Throughout his career, Mayweather fought against many other boxing champions of the 1980s and 1990s. He is a part of the Mayweather boxing family; his brothers are former welterweight contender Floyd Mayweather and former IBO super featherweight champion Jeff Mayweather, and his nephew is five-division world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. Roger eventually became Mayweather Jr.'s trainer.
Boxing career
Junior Lightweight and Lightweight
Mayweather who was 64-4 as an amateur made his pro boxing debut on July 29, 1981 against Andrew Ruiz. Mayweather won by TKO in round 1. In his thirteenth fight, Mayweather beat Ruben Muñoz Jr. for the USBA lightweight (135 lb) title.
After improving his record to 14-0, Mayweather earned a titleshot on January 19, 1983 against WBA super featherweight (130 lb) champion Samuel Serrano. Serrano entered the bout with a record of 49-3-1 and had lost only once since first winning the title in 1976. Nonetheless, Mayweather led on all three judges' scorecards before he beat Serrano by TKO in round 8 and effectively ended Serrano's career.
Mayweather made two successful title defenses (against Jorge Alvarado and Benedicto Villablanca), but then his first loss came when he was knocked out in round 1 by Rocky Lockridge on February 22, 1984.
Mayweather won the USBA super featherweight title when he gave Kenny Baysmore his first loss, by TKO in round 3. Thus, Mayweather earned the opportunity to fight against WBC Junior Lightweight champion and future legend Julio César Chávez on July 7, 1985. Although Mayweather won the first round on the judges' scorecards, he was knocked down twice in round 2 and lost by TKO.
On November 28, 1986, Mayweather beat Sammy Fuentes for the WBC Continental Americas lightweight title. In his next bout, on March 28, 1987, Mayweather fought against Pernell Whitaker for the NABF lightweight title. Mayweather was knocked down in round 1, but he knocked down Whitaker in round 9. Whitaker won by unanimous decision.
Junior Welterweight
After Mayweather moved up to the Junior Welterweight (140 lb) division, he fought against WBC Junior Welterweight champion Rene Arredondo on November 12, 1987. Mayweather led on the scorecards and knocked down Arredondo three times in round 6 to win by TKO.
Mayweather made four successful title defenses before he encountered Mexican champion Julio César Chávez again on May 13, 1989. Prior to this fight, Mayweather was being called by several boxing writers as "The Mexican assassin" due to his numerous wins over Mexican fighters over the last few years. Chávez was still undefeated at the time, and with a 63-0 record, he was a rising legend. Mayweather retired after round 10 due to the body damage inflicted by Chávez.
Mayweather won the WBA Americas super lightweight title on April 5, 1990 from Ildemar Paisan. He fought Rafael Pineda for the vacant IBF junior welterweight title on December 7, 1991, but he lost by knockout in round 9.
On March 14, 1993, Mayweather beat former WBA lightweight champion Livingstone Bramble by corner stoppage in round 5. Bramble had defeated Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini twice for the title in the mid-1980s.
Mayweather defeated Eduardo Montes for the IBO light welterweight title by third-round knockout on May 28, 1994. Less than three weeks later, he defeated Marco Antonio Ramirez by round 3 TKO.
Welterweight
In his next fight, against Johnny Bizzarro on August 4, 1994, Mayweather won the IBO welterweight (147 lb) title by unanimous decision. He defended the belt once in 1995.
On June 25, 1995, Mayweather fought the 14-0 Kostya Tszyu for the IBF junior welterweight title. Tszyu won by unanimous decision.
Mayweather won his last title—the IBA welterweight title—on March 12, 1997, when he beat Carlos Miranda by round 12 TKO. Mayweather's final bout was a majority decision victory over Javier Francisco Mendez on May 8, 1999. He ended his career with a total of nine major and minor titles in four weight classes.
Black Mamba
When asked about his ring nickname, Roger stated:
"It’s funny because I wanted a boxing nick-name that wouldn’t be common to most people. One day when I was flipping through channels and I came upon this channel showing different reptiles, and they were showing the black mamba, one of the most deadly snakes in the world. I loved the way the mamba attacked so quietly, but when he hit you he just hit you one time and the poison was in you. That reminded me of myself right there."[1]
Training career
When Floyd Mayweather Jr. turned pro in 1996, Roger Mayweather turned his attention away from his boxing career and focused more on being Mayweather's trainer. Roger trained Mayweather until early 1998, when Floyd Mayweather Sr. was released from prison and became Mayweather's trainer. However, soon after Mayweather defeated Gregorio Vargas on March 18, 2000, Mayweather fired Mayweather Sr. as his trainer and brought Roger back.
Roger Mayweather garnered national attention during and after Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Zab Judah on April 8, 2006. Near the conclusion of the tenth round, Judah hit Mayweather with a left hand that was clearly below the belt and followed up with a right-handed rabbit punch. After referee Richard Steele called time with five seconds remaining in the round, Roger Mayweather entered the ring, but was restrained by Steele. Judah's father and trainer, Yoel Judah, entered the ring and swung at Roger. Zab then went after Roger—taking a swing and grappling with him until security broke it up and cleared the ring. Roger was ejected, but the boxers finished the remaining two rounds, and Mayweather won by unanimous decision. Five days after the fight, the Nevada State Athletic Commission decided not to overturn the result of the bout, but Roger Mayweather was fined US$200,000 and suspended for one year.[2]
Controversy
Mayweather was arrested on August 2009 in Las Vegas for allegedly attacking one of his former boxers, female boxer Melissa St. Vil. Mayweather allegedly hit her several times in the ribs, then tried to choke her, causing her to spit up blood when police arrived. Appearing on the HBO series "24/7", Mayweather admitted to choking St. Vil in an effort to restrain her, but denied that he physically struck her.[3]
References
- ↑ "Topic to Topic with Roger Mayweather". doghouseboxing.com.
- ↑ Vester, Mark. "Mayweather Still Champ, Roger Not So Lucky". BoxingScene.com. 13 April 2006.
- ↑ "Roger Mayweather arrested!". Boxing News.
See also
- List of WBA world champions
- List of WBC world champions
- Notable boxing families
- List of boxing triple champions
External links
| Preceded by Samuel Serrano |
WBA Super Featherweight Champion January 19, 1983–February 22, 1984 |
Succeeded by Rocky Lockridge |
| Preceded by Rene Arredondo |
WBC Light Welterweight Champion November 12, 1987–May 13, 1989 |
Succeeded by Julio César Chávez |