Featured Image Credit: Olympics/Getty
Topics: Floyd Mayweather, Boxing, Boxing News
Marcus Chan
The last man to get the better of Floyd Mayweather is now living a very different life after his boxing career did not go to plan.
Mayweather will go down in history as one of the best boxers having gone through his entire professional career without defeat.
Boasting a record of 50-0, ‘Money’ got the better of 16 world champions in total and won titles across five different weight classes.
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The last time the American tasted defeat was actually back in 1996, during the Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
At the time, Mayweather was just 19 years of age and was up against Serafim Todorov of Bulgaria in the semi-final.
Todorov, who was eight years older than Mayweather got the better of ‘Money’ as he advanced winning 10-9 on the scorecards.
Three-time gold medalist Todorov progressed to the final and took home the silver medal after suffering a defeat to Somluck Kamsing of Thailand.
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Mayweather quickly recovered from the set-back and has gone on to become the richest and most successful boxer by some distance - claiming his superfight with Conor McGregor resulted in him becoming a billionaire.
The same cannot be said for Todorov, who turned down an offer from a group of promoters in the United States and later tried to represent Turkey at the 1997 World Amateur Boxing Champions because he felt his home nation was not giving him the correct backing.
The national allegiance switch did not happen though, with the Bulgarian Boxing Federation standing firm. As a result, Todorov would retire from boxing 2003.
After 12 years away, he returned to the ring in 2015 at the age of 46 and beat Aleksandar Chukaleiski via unanimous decision in a four-round welterweight contest, as per Boxing News Online.
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That same year, however, the New York Times did a detailed piece on him and revealed he was living on a pension that pays him just $435 per month. He didn't even have a flat screen TV the last time he was heard from.
Living in a modest first-floor unit in Pazardzhik with his wife, son and daughter-in-law, his jobs have varied from working as a driver, in a grocery store and in a sausage factory.
Previously reflecting on his triumph over one of the greats and how he never kicked on, he said: "My experience was much stronger. I beat all the Russians, all the Cubans, some Americans, Germans, Olympic champions.
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"I was making fun of them in the ring. British, French - I beat them all. I was very smart. I was a very beautiful and attractive fighter to watch. You must be an artist in the ring. I was an artist.
"It was just like any other fight, to be honest - I had beaten much stronger fighters.
"I wanted to hope that things here could get better. It was stupid. I came back and I found hell."