Floyd Mayweather Jr stripped of welterweight world title

Floyd Mayweather Jr has been stripped of the welterweight world title he won after beating Filipino Manny Pacquiao this year for failing to comply with rules, the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) said

Mayweather, who improved to 48-0 by beating Pacquiao in May, had until Friday before missing his deadline by which he had to pay a US$200,000 (S$270,396) sanctioning fee from the fight and vacate the junior middleweight title he also held, the WBO said in a statement.

Mayweather, who also holds the WBC and WBA titles has not reliquished his junior middleweight titles – WBO rules state that a boxer can only hold belts in one weight class, they had given Mayweather time to make the decision on which weight to stick at.

The WBO said it is against rules for boxers to hold world titles in multiple weight classes and that Mayweather had to indicate which weight division he would retain.

Mayweather had said after the Pacquiao fight that he would relinquish his belts: “Other fighters need to get a chance. I’m not greedy. I’m a world champion at two different weight classes right now … It’s time to let other fighters fight for the belts.” However, the choice has now been taken out of his hands.

Interim WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley will step up to take the belt.

Mayweather, who earned over US$200 million from the fight which generated a record pay-per-view revenue in the United States of $400 million, has two weeks to launch an appeal.

Adapted from news sources

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