Floyd Mayweather To Pay For George Floyd’s Funeral
The highest-earning athlete of the 2010s said through a rep that he is “definitely” paying for George Floyd’s funeral, scheduled for June 9.
Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather is set to pay the funeral expenses of George Floyd, whose death while in police custody in Minneapolis has ignited widespread protests across the U.S.
The undefeated former five-division world champion’s promotional company, Mayweather Productions, confirmed on Twitter that the retired boxer had made the offer, and several media reports said the family have accepted.
Undisputed champion @floydmayweather told @HollywoodUL in an exclusive interview, that he will commit to paying for the funeral costs of George Floyd. https://t.co/xP1o4j1SMM pic.twitter.com/8Be4aeyPax
— Mayweather Promotions (@MayweatherPromo) June 1, 2020
Mayweather, who Forbes named the highest-earning athlete of the 2010s thanks to massive pay-per-view fights with Manny Pacquiao and UFC star Conor McGregor, is “definitely” paying for the funeral, his longtime representative told ESPN on Monday.
“He’ll probably get mad at me for saying that, but yes, [Mayweather] is definitely paying for the funeral,” Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, told ESPN.com.
Ellerbe added that Mayweather has been in touch with the family of Floyd, and the family has accepted his offer.
“Floyd has done these kind of things over the last 20 years,” said Ellerbe, who added that Mayweather didn’t want to talk further about his offer.
A funeral for Floyd will be held in his hometown of Houston on June 9, family attorney Ben Crump told CNN.
Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on Floyd, has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges. Three other cops involved in the arrest have not been charged.
Mayweather is widely considered to be the best boxer of his generation. Among the champions he defeated before retiring in 2017 are Pacquiao, Canelo Alvarez, Oscar de la Hoya, Miguel Cotto, and former UFC “double-champ” McGregor.
Mayweather is just the latest pro athlete to weigh in on the tragic death that has sparked fierce protests around the nation. NBA great Michael Jordan, current NBA star LeBron James and 15-times major golf champion Tiger Woods are among the countless athletes who have spoken out.
Jordan released a statement on Sunday that condemned “ingrained racism” in the U.S., while Woods said on Monday he has always respected law enforcement, but the Floyd tragedy had crossed a line.
“I have always had the utmost respect for our law enforcement. They train so diligently to understand how, when and where to use force,” Woods shared on Twitter. “This shocking tragedy clearly crossed that line.”
In related news, Steve Bisciotti, owner of the Baltimore Ravens, pledged $1 million for social justice reform and said a group of former and current NFL players would decide which charities would benefit.
“We must all discover new ways to unite. We must all work to break the cycle of systematic racial injustice,” Bisciotti said in a statement.
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