The news that Roger Mayweather had died was likely devastating to his more famous nephew, Floyd Mayweather. Roger Mayweather’s death was reported just about a week after that Josie Harris, Floyd Mayweather’s ex-girlfriend and the mother of three of his children, was found dead.
While Roger Mayweather’s cause of death was not immediately confirmed, he reportedly suffered from diabetes, a disease that disproportionately affects Black people. He was just 58 years old.
MORE: RIP Josie Harris: Everything To Know About The Death Of Floyd Mayweather’s Ex-Girlfriend
And while his name may not ring as many bells as his nephew’s, boxing enthusiasts remember very well that Roger Mayweather was also no slouch in the ring and died a boxing legend in his own right who went on to successfully train Floyd Mayweather.
Roger Mayweather’s biggest moment in the ring following his own impressive career arguably came during a brawl in the middle of a boxing match between Floyd and Zab Judah in 2006. That was when Roger Mayweather entered the ring and went after Judah for hitting Floyd below the belt in an instance that showed just how close the uncle and his nephew were. See below at the 7:11 mark.
Those moves that Roger Mayweather showed in the ring against Judah were reminiscent of his fierce boxing style that earned the fighter the nickname of Black Mamba — well before Kobe Bryant — on his way to winning featherweight, lightweight and welterweight belts during a career that spanned about 15 years and garnered a record of 59-13 with 35 knockouts.
Floyd Mayweather was still grieving publicly on his Instagram account over the death of Harris when Roger Mayweather’s death was reported. As of late Tuesday afternoon, Floyd Mayweather had not released a statement about his uncle’s death. According to TMZ, “Floyd was close with Roger and is deeply emotional about his passing.”
Floyd Mayweather told TMZ in 2015 that he thought Roger Mayweather had some brain damage from his boxing days. “My uncle Roger Mayweather has lost a lot of memory from the sport of boxing,” Floyd Mayweather said at the time. “He’s only in his 50s, but it seems like he’s an old man in his 80s.”
In 2018, Roger Mayweather’s brother, Jeff Mayweather, spoke extensively about his brother’s health issues.
Many people on social media were reacting to Roger Mayweather’s death by posting anecdotes about the boxing legend. One user posted a video from Roger Mayweather’s 1983 fight against Benedicto Villablanca and called it “one of his most iconic wins with a 1st round KO over Villablanca to retain the Ring, Lineal and WBA super featherweight titles.”
https://twitter.com/CW08__/status/1240004110327349248?s=20
To get a better idea of just how fearsome a fighter Roger Mayweather was, scroll down to see some of his signature moments from inside the boxing ring.
