Floyd Mayweather outclasses wheelchair boxer in 6-round exhibition

Retired boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr dusted off his gloves once again to take part in a controversial exhibition, cruising to a unanimous decision victory over a wheelchair boxer in a bout worth a reported $15million.

The undefeated, former five-division world champion retired from professional boxing after defeating UFC's Conor McGregor back in 2017, but is always on the lookout for some easy money.

Mayweather's last foray into the ring was at the end of 2018, when he knocked out 5'4", 127lb kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa, 19-years-old at the time, in a farcical exhibition in Japan that lasted all of 140 seconds and reportedly made the boxing legend a cool $9million.

But nobody expected his latest stunt. The 43-year-old was apparently given the idea by a member of his team, who suggested he take part in a friendly exhibition to promote wheelchair boxing in the Las Vegas area, with all the proceeds going to charity. Mayweather liked the low risk element of fighting someone in a wheelchair, but insisted he should make at least 8 figures and take 90% of the profits for the fight because he's the "A side", with the remaining 10% going to the Nevada Chapter of the Wheelchair Foundation.

The man who calls himself 'TBE' (or 'The Best Ever') also insisted the event be held in the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the preferred venue for much of his glittering professional career, and that the agreed weight limit of 154 lbs include his opponent's wheelchair.

An opponent was found in 26-year-old Walter 'High Roller' Reed, who had been making a name for himself in the wheelchair boxing game after losing the use of his legs in a car accident. And despite some last minute drama involving Reed's request for pain medication after suffering a sudden muscle spasm, which was ultimately denied after Mayweather's team threatened to cancel the event, the six-round fight went ahead.

In the first three rounds, a focused yet typically cautious Mayweather circled his opponent using his slick footwork, controlling the distance with some stiff jabs to Reed's stomach and looking for an opening to land that famed straight right hand, bobbing in and out of range and throwing feints as if he were fighting Manny Pacquiao.

<