Saturday night, Floyd Mayweather cried.
During boxing's Hall of Fame week, the 50-0 ex-boxer delivered a speech.
On Sunday, he will be permanently immortalized in a New York state museum in Canastota.
NEW YORK'S VERONA Floyd Mayweather was late to the boxing Hall of Fame weekend, but when he did show up, he made quite an entrance and made a powerful statement.
The 45-year-old joined pugilistic peers Bernard Hopkins, Juan Manuel Marquez, and Roy Jones Jr. as fighters who shone brightest while battling in the ring, wearing a dinner jacket embroidered with stars.
On Sunday, the classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022 will be forever enshrined in nearby Canastota, but Mayweather broke down in tears at a banquet at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York, the night before those inductions.People chanted "hard work and devotion" when Mayweather took the microphone, paused to collect his thoughts, then shook his head in amazement.
Even though he was wearing sunglasses, his face transformed as he became overcome with emotion.
One man offered his support, saying, "You deserve it, Floyd."
Minutes had passed with Mayweather still silent.
That's when Muhammad Ali's daughter, Laila Ali, embraced Mayweather, a fellow boxing Hall of Fame inductee this weekend.Ali encircled him with her arm.
What she said was unclear, but whatever she said seemed to work. She clutched his biceps and walked away.
A minute was added to Mayweather's time.
He patted his cheeks with a tissue Ali had given him since his cheeks were moist from the tears that had flowed from his eyes.
"I don't know what to say," he said before going on to speak for nearly 15 minutes."I told myself I wasn't going to cry," he began, eliciting laughter from the audience of hundreds. "This is one of the most memorable days of my life," Mayweather stated.
After defeating UFC star Conor McGregor in the 10th round of a historic crossover match, the former five-weight world champion retired from pro boxing in 2017.
Though the McGregor fight was one of Mayweather's biggest paydays, it pales in comparison to the list of top boxers he faced and defeated.
Mayweather was put through the ringer's ringer's ringer's ringer's Genaro Hernandez, Diego Corrales, Jose Luis Castillo, Zab Judah, Oscar de la Hoya, Saul Alvarez, Marcos Maidana, and Manny Pacquiao were among the fighters he defeated
He even beat out Juan Manuel Marquez, Shane Mosley, and Miguel Cotto, who were all inducted into the Hall of Fame on the same weekend as him."To all these champions up here," he added as he looked around at the other inductees. "To me, all these champions… They shaped me into the person I am today.
"The prior champions, I could mention so many boxers, the list goes on and on." These fighters make me so proud. I'm not even here to talk about myself because there would be no me without them.
"I'm delighted that Juan Manuel Marquez and Shane Mosley have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Each and every one of these legends. James Toney and Bernard Hopkins. The list could go on and on. Laila Ali, Andre Ward I'm so proud of you all.
He stated, "This isn't just about Floyd Mayweather."Mayweather praised his family, especially Floyd Mayweather Sr., who assisted him in his training, and Josie Harris, the mother of two of his children who died two years ago.
"I love my father because without him, none of this would be possible," he stated.
"And I told myself over and over, 'I'm not going to cry when I get up here,' and I meant it. I'm going to give a fantastic speech about how proud I am of my mother, father, and family.'
"You always see my dad, the top trainer," says the narrator. There will never be another coach like my father.
"They call it the 'Sweet Science,' so my father told me, 'You know what, son? In boxing, the less punches you take, the longer you'll be able to last.
"I told myself, 'I'm going to take fewer punches, retire on my own terms, and make wise investments so I can live comfortably long after retirement.'""Boxing is blood, sweat, and tears," Mayweather continued. What the hell, I'm crying on a beautiful day like this? These are happy tears.
"My corpus of work is incredible." Fighting men like Shane Mosley and Manny Pacquiao, who are incredible, unbelievable, great champions — I adore all of them."
The fighter then spoke about what drives him to compete in sports. "When they tell me I can't do something, it motivates me to push even harder." To be the best, I keep pushing myself to be the best."
Mayweather's unblemished record of 50 wins, 27 of which came by knockout, will be one of his lasting achievements.
Because winning a bronze medal at the 1996 Olympic Games, he aspired to glory in the professional game
"I'm relieved I didn't win the gold," he stated. "Because it motivated me to push even harder to avoid experiencing that misery again."Mayweather is famed for amassing a $1 billion fortune through prizefighting.
He even went by the moniker "Money" Mayweather.
Mayweather owns fast automobiles and invests in high-end real estate in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Miami. He even owns a watch worth $18 million.
But, as he stated during his speech on Saturday, his showy lifestyle does not define who he is. He stated, "It didn't matter how much money they paid me." "I would have done it for nothing. Boxing is one of my favorite sports.
"There is no sport in the world like boxing," he said.
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