Floyd Mayweather Jr. may have one less boxing championship title to his name, but the undefeated fighter still has plenty of reason to cheer.
Image via Reuters
According to the World Boxing Organization (WBO), Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been stripped of the WBO welterweight world title which he had won after defeating Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao in the sport’s most anticipated and record-breaking fight.
This happened after Mayweather missed a deadline to pay a US$200,000 sanctioning fee and vacate the two junior middleweight titles he also held. Unlike other boxing organizations, the WBO does not allow fighters to hold titles in multiple weight classes.
“The WBO World Championship Committee is allowed no other alternative but to cease to recognize Mr. Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the WBO Welterweight Champion of the World and vacate his title, for failing to comply with our WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests,” said the WBO in a statement.
While the news may come as shocking to some, Mayweather himself does not seem to be fazed. “Floyd will decide what, or if any, actions he will take. But in the meantime he’s enjoying a couple of hundred million he made from his last outing and this has zero impact on anything he does,” said Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe.
The boxer has won 11 world titles in five weight classes throughout a career that spans over 19 years, so forfeiting one is hardly a dent in his illustrious career. More importantly, fans and critics are more eager to see who his next – and possibly last – opponent will be for his next fight, scheduled for September 12th, and if this yet-unnamed fighter can hand Mayweather his first loss.