Floyd “GOAT” Mayweather and Father Floyd Mayweather Steal The Show At Nevada HOF Gala

On Saturday night, The Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame pulled out all the stops and had their 7th Annual Induction Gala at Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas.

The 2019 Induction Class consisted of Bernard Hopkins, Juan Manuel Marquez, “Terrible” Terry Norris, Joel Casamayor, Leroy Haley, Wayne McCullough, Hasim Rahman, Humberto “Chiquita” Gonzalez, Vinny “The Pazmanian Devil” Paz, Ronald “Winky” Wright and “School Boy” Bobby Chacon. Non-Boxer Participants Duane Ford, Dan Goossen, Dr. Flip Homansky, Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Marc Risman.

CEO and NVBHOF President Michelle Corrales-Lewis looked on proudly as the program unfurled, and saw the night’s emcee Cynthia Conte keep the show flowing nicely. I asked around, and was told that one heavy-duty highlight came when Floyd Mayweather introed his pop, Floyd Mayweather Sr.

Did Conte agree, was the segment stellar in her eyes, as well?

“It was a sweet and genuine moment to see Floyd Mayweather Jr. aka “GOAT” talk about Floyd Mayweather Sr. as a fighter/trainer but it was an even more genuine and teary moment because he was an incredibly proud son speaking about his father,” Conte…

…told NYFIGHTS. “He spoke of his dad’s accomplishments, trials and tribulations that made him the hall-of-famer he is today. Floyd gave credit where credit was due. I believe whole-heartedly this is what Senior has always wanted was to hear from his son. I was sitting behind Floyd on the stage as he made his speech and I could hear him choke up a couple of times. I looked over to Senior, who was sitting off to the side crying and smiling as he listened to Floyd speak. It was one of the unforgettable memories that I’ll never forget. The best part was when he put the ring on his dad’s hand, put the medal around his neck, handed him the trophy and hugged him. You could see and feel how much he loved him and how proud he was of his dad.”

Sounds, indeed, heartfelt and stellar. And meaningful, because those two have by no means had a smooth ride, decades ago, or even fairly recently.

Floyd took to the podium, and wearing sun-glasses, to help hide if he got teary, said that his dad was and is “an unbelievable man, a man of principle, a man of dignity, loyal…always believed I was going to be the best.”

It was like “second nature” when pop showed him the ropes; he was five, and he loved it right away. He said his career as an active fighter is OVER, for the record. Also, he noted that he liked it when his dad critiqued him. He didn’t even want dad to say that an outing was perfect, because it helped him to get to GOAT status. He wasn’t looking at notes on paper or on a phone, he was riffing.“In my heart, you’re the fuckin’ best, and I love you,” he declared.

Check out the video supplied by Fight Hub, see Floyd’s kind words:

Then the father got to the mic. Was he going to tell the assembled they didn’t know shit about boxing? Surprise…He told Floyd he wanted him to talk for him, then changed his mind, and spoke. He said he “got in a real bad car accident,” and was halting in his speech. Floyd took over for him, and said his dad wasn’t at one hudred percent. “He’s not a hundred percent but he’s here, and that’s the main thing,” the offspring said. “I never looked up to no fighter but this man right here,” he said. “In life this was my only champion…You deserve it,” he said, as he put a HOF medal around dad’s neck.

Rich Marotta spear-headed the Nevada Hall’s opening; I asked him what stood out for him on Saturday. “Yeah, it was terrific,” he said, when I queried if the Floyd to Floyd Senior homage touched his heart. “You could see it was heartfelt. I told Floyd afterward that he truly touched me. There isn’t a dad alive who wouldn’t want that kind tribute from a son. Hasim Rahman Jr also had very emotional induction presentation of his dad, again very strong. And Wynona McCullough gave the presenting speech for Wayne and you could tell how proud she was of her dad. Very poignant stuff. Craig Goossen accepted on behalf of Dan Goossen, too.”