Floyd Mayweather’s uncle and ex-trainer dies at 58

Roger Mayweather, uncle and boxing trainer to Floyd Mayweather, has died aged 58 after a long battle with diabetes. The tragic news comes less than a week since Mayweather's ex-girlfriend and mother of their three children Josie Harris was found dead in her car at the age of 40.

Roger Mayweather, a Michigan native, became a distinguished world champion in his own right, facing both Julio Cesar Chaves Jr and Pernell Whittaker during a 20-year career, before establishing himself as one of the greatest coaches in the sport’s history. 

“My uncle was one of the most important people in my life inside and outside of the ring,” Floyd Mayweather said in a statement. “Roger was a great champion and one of the best trainers in boxing. Unfortunately, his health was failing him for several years and now he can finally rest in peace.

“Roger meant the world to me, my father Floyd Sr., my uncle Jeff, our whole family, everyone in and around the Mayweather Boxing Gym and the entire boxing world. It is a terrible loss for all of us.”

Nicknamed the “Black Mamba”, Mayweather Sr won 59 of his 72 professional fights, capturing the WBA super-featherweight world title and WBC light-welterweight world title. 

He began working with his nephew Floyd in the late ‘90s and moulded him into one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters of all time over the course of 12 years, boasting an unbeaten 50-0 record.