WATCH: “I am the king of the jungle” – ‘Pretty boy’ Floyd Mayweather once riled up English crowd wearing Manchester United jersey

Floyd Mayweather utilized an unusual tactic opponent Ricky Hatton ahead of matchup in the 2000s.

WATCH: “I am the king of the jungle” – ‘Pretty boy’ Floyd Mayweather once riled up English crowd wearing Manchester United jersey

Floyd Mayweather (Source: IMAGO)

Boxers Floyd Mayweather and Ricky Hatton are both unparalleled competitors in the sport of boxing. At the top of their game, their matchup was even dubbed ‘Undefeated.’ The consensus at the time relayed that Hatton would provide ‘Pretty Boy’ Mayweather his first career loss. During the UK phase of the press conference, thousands of fans came to watch the press conference in support of their national hero, Hatton.

A video surfaced of Mayweather in a very bold fashion choice. The crowd was very hostile towards Mayweather, who was greeted with chants of “Who are you.” The American initially wore a black t-shirt and jacket, but the video showed him quickly changing into a Manchester United jersey. The team is the rival of Hatton’s favorite team, Manchester City. Giving himself the moniker of “Manchester Mayweather,” the fighter edged on the crowd. This is what Floyd told Adam Smith: 

Welcome to the lion's den? I am the lion, I am the lion. I am the king of the jungle, this is called Manchester Mayweather. I ain't scared of nothing. I love Manchester!
Floyd Mayweather via Sky Sports.
YouTube video

United and City have a fierce rivalry on the pitch. When they play each other, it’s famously called the Manchester Derby. Mayweather went out of his way and took no shortage of effort to pile that in as a mind-game move on the opponent.

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The bout was one of the biggest fights then, with a sellout crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Fans and boxing experts expected the Brit to give Mayweather a run for his money. However, the American boxer came out on top.

Floyd Mayweather incurred the praise of fans in his early days as a boxer

Floyd Mayweather has been on the deep end of boxing and faced many opponents. But time and again, he has illustrated why he gets nicknames like ‘Pretty Boy’ and ‘Money.’ In a professional boxing career of 20 years and 10 months, Mayweather Jr. fought 50 times with 50 wins and no losses. As such, in a recent tweet, the boxer garnered some praise for his early career.

Floyd Mayweather
Floyd Mayweather (Source: The Guardian)

Mayweather is a former five-weight-class world champion. Mayweather was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) in 2021. As of his last professional fight on Aug. 26, 2017, Mayweather’s record stood at an undefeated 50-0 (27 KO wins); this fight was a 10th-round TKO victory over Conor McGregor.

He also fought John Gotti III in a boxing exhibition match this year that ended in a ring-side melee brawl. An old video of him has surfaced recently, praising his savagery in his earlier days. He made his debut in 1996.

During his younger days, Mayweather tried to finish off his opponents. He had 19 finishes in the first 25 bouts of his professional career. However, injuries sustained during the bout led him to approach the fight differently. This made him a different boxer than the one he was during the beginning of his career.

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