AMORY – Everything about the most famous boxer in the world screams “Vegas” — the money, fame, headlines, and glitz.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s roots, though, appear to trace to Monroe County.
Floyd Mayweather Sr., a retired boxer who now trains his famous son, was born in 1952. And several signs point to him possibly being born in Amory.
A handful of major media outlets — ABC News, The National, the BBC — in their lead-up coverage of Mayweather Jr.’s fight versus Manny Pacquiao on Saturday, have mentioned Floyd Sr. is originally from Mississippi.
However, boxrec.com, a clearinghouse of sorts for information about every professional boxer, lists Floyd Sr. as having been born in New York City.
An extensive Internet search offered scant clues of the truth.
Wikipedia lists Amory as Floyd Sr.’s place of birth.
In 2000, a woman researching the “Mayweather” surname posted on ancestry.com details of an interview she conducted with Floyd Mayweather Sr.
“The parent of Floyd Mayweather Jr. was born in Amory, Mississippi,” the post reads. “Floyd Sr. has not returned to Amory since his departure. The parents of Floyd Sr. were born in Nelton, Mississippi.”
There appears to be no Mississippi town called “Nelton.” (Nettleton is partly in Monroe County.) The Dispatch reached out to the person who made the ancestry.com post, but received no reply.
The Dispatch contacted several people in Amory regarding the old railroad town’s Mayweather connection. At nearly every turn dead ends were met.
Mayor Brad Blalock: “I personally was not aware of this. That is very interesting. I will do a bit of investigating and get back in touch.”
Librarian at Amory Municipal Library: “I didn’t know that. Isn’t it strange that no one has said anything?”
One person, though, had at least heard rumors.
“I had heard that for years,” Don Rowe, a former sports editor at the Amory newspaper who freelances occasionally for The Dispatch, said. “I don’t know any specifics.”
Rowe said he once traveled to Madison Square Garden in New York City to watch a Lennox Lewis fight. After returning to Amory, he mentioned his experience to an older gentleman who told him Floyd Mayweather Sr. was from Amory.
“That’s the extent of what I know,” Rowe said, adding that the gentleman has since died.
Catherine Maeweather, who lives in Okolona, told The Dispatch this morning that Floyd Sr. was indeed a Monroe County native. She said he was her father-in-law’s brother. Asked about the different spelling of the last name, she said the families were one in the same.
The Dispatch called Floyd Mayweather Sr.’s home in Las Vegas on Thursday evening. No one answered. We also emailed his management team. No one responded.
Floyd Mayweather Sr. is 62.
Oliver Miller, who owns and operates a longtime boxing gym in Columbus and holds some classes in Amory, is 59. When contacted by The Dispatch on Thursday and told about the Mayweather connection, a flabbergasted Miller said he had no idea.
A Dispatch reporter said, “It’s a small world.”
“That’s an understatement,” Miller replied.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s fight against Pacquiao on Saturday night in Las Vegas is being billed as the “fight of the century.”
The Dispatch asked Miller who he was going for.
“Well, this makes it easy,” he said. “Got to go for Mayweather. He’s like family now.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
William Browning was managing editor for The Dispatch until June 2016.
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