Mayweather touched by Hall of Fame induction

VERONA, New York－Reduced to tears at a banquet on the eve of his big day, Floyd Mayweather Jr. was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame on Sunday, just a tinge of emotion in his voice as he accepted the honor.

"I have done a lot in my career, but this is by far the best," said Mayweather, who credited his mom, dad and sister for much of his success. "I want to thank the International Boxing Hall of Fame for giving me this. This right here is going to my dad because he deserves it. Bernard Hopkins said it best－'You've got to earn it.' And my dad earned this ring.

"I want to say thank you to everybody for your support. I want to tell all the fighters－thank you, you guys are remarkable. There wouldn't be no me without you guys."

One of the best defensive fighters ever, his 50-0 record suggests perfection but he will probably best be known for how he capitalized financially on his career.

He invented the 'Money Mayweather' persona, but the money was very real, including the estimated $200 million he made to fight Manny Pacquiao in the richest fight ever.

Mayweather banked similar money to fight UFC's Conor McGregor, and his record as a pay-per-view king may stand for a long time. Is he the greatest fighter ever as he claims? Most observers would agree that he probably isn't, but that doesn't stop him from being in the conversation.

Mayweather headlined the three classes that were inducted Sunday.

The pandemic forced the postponement of the previous two induction ceremonies, making 2022 a crowded affair.

The ceremony was moved from the Hall of Fame's home in Canastota, New York, to Turning Stone Resort and Casino in nearby Verona to accommodate the 36 honorees.

Roy Jones Jr., Miguel Cotto and James Toney were part of this year's class. The Class of 2020 included multi-division champions Hopkins, Juan Manuel Marquez, and "Sugar "Shane Mosley. The Class of 2021 included Mayweather, Wladimir Klitschko, and Andre Ward.

Also among those honored were the first female fighters－Christy Martin, Laila Ali, Lucia Rijker, Regina Halmich, and Holly Holm－to be enshrined. Martin shot to fame when she was featured on some of Mike Tyson's fight cards in the 1990s. Induction came on her 54th birthday. For Laila Ali, it was a return to where her career started. She won her first match in October 1999 against April Fowler at Turning Stone.

All but one of the 27 fighters inducted did not attend the ceremony. The one missing was Wladimir Klitschko.

The Ukrainian, who was heavyweight champion for 12 years and two days, longer than anyone in history, and finished with a record of 64-5 (53 KOs), released two short videos to acknowledge the honor.

"Thank you, fans. I never ever dreamed of getting that far in the sport. Amazing," Klitschko said.

Agencies Via Xinhua