Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. (born Floyd Joy Sinclair; February 24, 1977) is an American professional boxing promoter and former professional boxer. He competed between 1996 and 2015, and made a one-fight comeback in 2017. During his career he won fifteen major world championships from super featherweight to light middleweight, including the Ring magazine title in five weight classes, the lineal championship in four weight classes (twice at welterweight), and retired with an undefeated record. As an amateur, Mayweather won a bronze medal in the featherweight division at the 1996 Olympics, three U.S. Golden Gloves championships (at light flyweight, flyweight, and featherweight), and the U.S. national championship at featherweight.
Floyd Mayweather’s Success Lessons:
Here are some of Floyd Mayweather’s success lessons that he has passed on to matchs, champions, to succeed in life.
1. Talent is Nothing Without Work
When his daughter was asked what’s the biggest lesson she’s learned being around her father? She responded, “that hard work pays off.”
No doubt Floyd Mayweather has talent, but if he hadn’t worked on that talent from the age of five, there’s no way he’d be the athlete he is.
Many talented boxers walk into his gym, the only ones that get his attention are the ones that survive “dog-house rules,” a gruelling sparring session without any breaks.
Talent without hard work is like an amazing singer—who never sings. Hard work makes the potential, actual.
2. Always Stay Hungry
What separates the good from the great, the successful from the highly successful, the Mayweathers from the long-list of “good” boxers?
It all comes down to superior desire and drive. When some athletes, musicians, actors, business-people and other successful people reach a certain level of success they can become complacent and lose some of their drive.
But the true greats retain their relentless attitude to keep pushing their limits to see what’s possible and go down in history forever.
Floyd Mayweather has more money that he knows what to do with. He has accomplished more in his sport than most in history. Yet his hunger is still as intense today as someone who is just starting out from the bottom.
3. Bigger Than Your Circumstances
Floyd’s father was thrown in prison for dealing cocaine. His mother suffered with drug addiction. At one stage, seven of his family members were sleeping in a one bedroom apartment without any heating or hot water.
According to statistics, Mayweather should’ve ended up in prison. But he chose to be bigger than statistics and bigger than his circumstances.
As the saying goes, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” There were a million influences leading him to water, but ultimately he chose not to drink. He chose to hold onto his dream and not be derailed from turning it into reality.
We may not always have power over what happens to us, but we always have power over how we choose to respond.
4. Never Give Up Attitude
Last but definitely not least, a look behind the curtains of any “nothing to something” success story wouldn’t be complete without mentioning sheer tenacity and will. It is a true foundation of any worthy achievement.
Tenacity is something Floyd Mayweather has in spades.
You may look at his current undefeated record and think he’s had a nice smooth ride to the top. But it’s been far from that. He has had to overcome much adversity along the way, and many obstacles in life before his boxing career ever started.
No matter what he went through, he never gave up on his dream to become the best at what he does and to also achieve great business success.
If you want to become successful; the most important thing you could ever do is firmly resolve that you’ll never give up no matter what happens and embracing any adversity. Adopting this champion mindset will get you what you want in due time.
5. Work Hard, Play Hard
While his opponents are sleeping, Mayweather often heads out at midnight for an intense 12-mile run followed with cycling.
He also woke up at 1am to go shoe shopping, and bought 12 pairs.
If anything matches Mayweather’s extreme training, it’s his extreme partying. With private jets, fleets of luxury cars, including a couple of Bugatti Veyrons, and more watches than minutes in a day, extravagance is an understatement.
Those closest to him say that, for an elite athlete, he sure knows how to have fun. It’s not only possible, but necessary—all work no play will make anyone insane. Labouring, without enjoying the fruits of your labour, will lead to burnout.
Floyd Mayweather shows us that sustained success is a balance of discipline and celebration.
Living the dream will be blood, sweat, and tears, but it should also be champagne, hot-tubs, and hotels.
6. Over-the-Top Self-Belief
Mayweather doesn’t need the question in order to give the answer: “I’m the best ever.”
Cocky? Sure. But actions flow from belief. And whether or not he becomes the greatest is irrelevant if he doesn’t truly believe it. His belief has already taken him to the top with an undefeated record.
As important as it is to have others believe in us, it serves no good if we don’t believe in ourselves.
Our beliefs will shape our reality, a desire for an over-the-top life needs to be matched with over-the-top beliefs.
