FLOYD MAYWEATHER Jnr w rsf 2 ANGEL MANFREDY
Dec 19, 1998; Miccosukee Indian Gaming Resort, Miami, FL
ANYONE who believes that Floyd Mayweather was just a safety-first defensive artist should watch this. Manfredy had beaten Arturo Gatti and a still-useful John Brown going in. HBO labelled this as a ‘Christmas present for boxing fans who like well-matched fights’. As it turned out, WBC super-featherweight champion Mayweather was brilliant and Manfredy didn’t stand a chance. Floyd began quickly and won the opening round before increasing the pressure in the next. Hooks, uppercuts and overhand rights rained in on Manfredy before the referee stepped in.
DID YOU KNOW? Manfredy told BN in 2017 that he earned $1m from the fight but HBO had to give it to him in three separate payments because Mayweather would not have gone through with the fight if he’d known he was earning less.
WATCH OUT FOR: Larry Mercant toying with predictions that Mayweather would go on to be a great fighter in the immediate build-up. The size of Mayweather’s shoulder pads are also worth looking out for.