00:06He was one of the biggest cash cows the sport of boxing had ever seen before. He managed
00:12to become the ultimate villain that millions just love to hate. But he wasn't always so
00:18marketable in his historic career. Let's take a look back at how Floyd Mayweather was able
00:23to become the most electrifying man in sports and entertainment.
00:28Despite having quite a dysfunctional family growing up, Floyd seemed destined for greatness.
00:34Not only was his father a professional boxer, so was his uncles, it indeed was a family affair.
00:40Floyd training countless hours in the gym under their guidance would lead to a great amateur start
00:45in the sport. He was dominating the competition and leaving fights unscathed. The prodigy was
00:53even given the nickname Pretty Boy because of how little damage he took in his bouts. After turning
00:59pro he was ready to take on all challenges, and continue the family legacy. Starting his career
01:05off with a few solid wins in his division, many analysts began to take notice of the very elusive
01:10boxer on the rise. It wasn't long before multiple championship titles were strapped around his waist.
01:18However, despite being undefeated and a champion in the sport, Mayweather wasn't exactly selling out
01:24venues or generating much interest with the masses. His promoters top rank headed by Bob Arum did what
01:31they could to push his stardom. But Floyd's style just wasn't the most sexy to watch for fans who would
01:37tune into events. While he was quite masterful from a defensive perspective, he was no Mike Tyson in the
01:43ring. Rarely was Floyd able to electrify the fans with exciting knockouts or on the edge of your seat
01:50barn burners. Mayweather still thought his management should do more to increase his popularity. In order
01:58to maximize his earning potential and build his brand even more, he decided to leave top rank and Bob Arum
02:04behind. Floyd had an idea that would change his life forever. The boring prize fighter decided to start
02:12his own company, Mayweather Promotions, along with longtime associate Leonard Ellaby. Mayweather now
02:18no longer had to share valuable resources such as marketing or advertising budgets. Not to mention
02:25the fact, he could also pick and choose who he fought going forward. Floyd had essentially taken
02:31control of his own destiny. For the first bout under the new company, he chose to take on the boxing
02:37sensation, Oscar de la Hoya. Leading up to the event, Mayweather's marketing genius would be unveiled.
02:45Instead of being polite and respectful, which he was in the past,
02:49Floyd would decide to switch things up during this media run.
02:58A 24-7 special aired on HBO where the two opponents would spar verbally,
03:03and Mayweather pulled no punches. He was offensive, rude and disrespectful toward Oscar
03:10throughout the series, constantly minimizing his talent and his career as a whole.
03:15Come on, man. This dude is a fan of mine, man. This dude, Oscar de la Hoya,
03:19is a fan of Floyd Mayweather. Why you hiring my dad? Why you hiring my dad? He wanna fight like
03:24me.
03:24Oscar wanna be where I'm at. He wanna be known as a legend. And I'm known as a living legend.
03:28When they mention Sugar Ray Robinson, they mention Floyd Mayweather. When they mention Muhammad Ali,
03:32they mention Floyd Mayweather. Oscar's name was never brought up then. When you talking about
03:35the best fighter, you talking about Floyd Mayweather. The ratings for the show was through
03:39the roof, and the heel persona worked masterfully to garner interest for the fight. And during the
03:45match itself the self-promotion continued to be put on display. As Mayweather did what would be deemed
03:51very disrespectful by most. On pay-per-view, the fight would break previous viewership numbers that
03:58were held by a prime Mike Tyson. Floyd's purse also saw a huge spike, coming away with $25 million,
04:05which was by far the most money he had ever made in his 10-year career. Not only did he
04:11gain a massive
04:12win in the ring that night. Mayweather also discovered the recipe for generating massive
04:17revenue for his fights. Going forward, he would get more creative, more brash, and more arrogant when
04:24the cameras were on. Making much more money now, he wasn't shy about flaunting it, adding another layer
04:31to his villain persona. Soon he would even double down on the money theme. Changing his nickname from
04:38Pretty Boy Floyd to now Money Mayweather. Being undefeated with a villainous arc,
05:03fans flocked to his fights in droves on cable and in person. Majority tuning in just hoping
05:09they could see him lose, and get a slice of humble pie. However, each match, he would continue to
05:16dominate the competition, in a decisive decision victory. Every few years, many opponents claimed to
05:23be the one to give him his first loss, but they all subsequently failed. As Manny Pacquiao began to
05:29become more popular in the sport, his name was brought up in discussions as the man to beat Floyd.
05:35This potential match-up was the talk of the town, and would go on for multiple years.
05:41Mayweather would often downplay the boxer, while they both continued to dominate their opponents.
05:47It would be another layer added to Floyd's heel marketing scheme.
05:51Um, Manny Pacquiao has a promoter. His promoter is Bob Arum. Floyd Mayweather is his own promoter.
05:58You know, at this particular time, Miguel Cotto is my main focus. When a Manny Pacquiao fight presents
06:04itself, then me and Manny Pacquiao will fight.
06:07Okay. Who might be next? It doesn't matter. All right. How about Manny Pacquiao?
06:11If he wants it, he can get it. Okay. Could you do a deal with Bob Arum then?
06:16Well, we already know. We got a man. Bob Arum has a problem, and we have an issue. So that's
06:21going to be hard to make. But after years of choosing to face other
06:25boxers instead of taking the obvious fight that fans wanted, Mayweather began to lose
06:30drawing power in the sport, and his numbers declined across the board. Eventually once,
06:36Manny took a few losses and was no longer in his prime years.
06:40Floyd would only then sign on to take the fight against Manny. With his victory,
06:46he was finally able to silence some critics that for a long time accused him of ducking
06:50and dodging tough opponents. The pay-per-view became the biggest in boxing history,
06:56and the event generated nearly $400 million in revenue. The cash cow would decide to retire
07:02undefeated following the blockbuster event. But Floyd had one more trick up his sleeve
07:08before he truly would call it quits.
07:12UFC's Conor McGregor had become a massive star in mixed martial arts.
07:17The Irishman adopted the marketing style that Mayweather had pioneered years earlier.
07:23Conor II flaunted wealth, had a cocky personality, and exuded the same toxic confidence.
07:40Like it worked for Floyd, it also worked the same for McGregor. His UFC events made millions by tickets
07:47and purchase of pay-per-views, thanks to his over-the-top promotional style. The very humorous
07:53McGregor began searching for a massive payday, he had yet to earn fighting under the UFC umbrella.
08:00Despite being in an exclusive deal, he continued to call out the retired boxing legend.
08:06Mayweather knew what sort of traction a fight with UFC's biggest star could do financially.
08:11UFC President Dana White and Mayweather struck a deal that many thought was impossible,
08:16but money talked in the end. In the age of social media, the two kings of trash talk would go
08:22viral,
08:23over and over during the promotion of the fight. The event drew massive attention,
08:28and both men walked away as winners. Conor had the biggest payday of his life,
08:33and Mayweather capped off his professional career undefeated, and with a massive retirement fund.
08:39But what do you think about this story?
08:41Was Floyd a marketing genius, and perhaps the best promoter of all time?
08:47Leave a comment below and let me know.
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