Inside Floyd Mayweathers scandalous Olympics defeat that left him in tears

Floyd Mayweather retired from boxing undefeated thanks to a relentless obsession with avoiding defeat.

And much of that drive may have come from very last time he tasted a loss before turning professional.

The American, then 19, lined up in the semi-final of the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 against Bulgaria's Serafim Todorov.

In a style we now know so well today, Mayweather lands a string of solid jabs and right-hands while keeping out of harm's way with his sublime shoulder-roll defence.

The pattern continues from the opening bell to the closing one.

But to the amazement of boxing fans ever since, it was Todorov's arm that was raised.

The decision was met with a chorus of heavy boos, and the rage that followed still lingers as one of the most scandalous decisions in Olympic boxing history.

Mayweather, now so familiar with arrogance and fighting talk, broke down in tears in his post-bout interview.

His voice breaks as he says "I feel I won the fight" before crying into his vest.

It all gets too much for him as he continues to well up, before walking out unable continue the interview.

Supervising judge, Bill Waeckerle, was so disgusted he resigned.

He told Inside Mayweather-Pacquiao: "On May 2, he should have a gold medal hanging in his corner.

"Someone took that from him. That's why I resigned.

"With all due respect, I will not be part of an organisation that cheats young men out of their right to have a gold medal, and there's my resignation."

To say Mayweather got his revenge would be an understatement.

He would go on to retire with a 50-0 record that has led many to consider him among the best boxers to ever lace a pair of gloves.

In his earlier days he stormed to stunning wins over fighters including Diego Corrales and Arturo Gatti.

Moving up in weight, he started to bill mega grossing headline fights including Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquiao – victorious in all.

His last professional fight was against UFC star Conor McGregor, which he won by TKO in round 10.

But the bout drew criticism from some who felt it undermined boxing, an accusation that recently intensified when Mayweather took on YouTube star Logan Paul in an exhibition bout.

Source: Read Full Article