Who was Roger Mayweather? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Nick Name: Black Mamba

Also Known As: Roger L. Mayweather

Died At Age: 58

Family:

father: Theartha Mayweather

mother: Bernice Mayweather

siblings: Floyd Mayweather, Floyd Mayweather Sr., Jeff Mayweather, Sr.

Born Country: United States

African American Men Boxers

Height: 1.71 m

Died on: March 17, 2020

place of death: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Cause of Death: Long Illness

City: Grand Rapids, Michigan

U.S. State: Michigan, African-American From Michigan

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Childhood & Early Life

Roger Mayweather was born on April 24, 1961, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, into a boxing family. His father, Theartha Mayweather, left the family when he was still in his teens. Thereafter, he was raised mainly by his mother, Bernice Mayweather.

Two of his brothers, Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Jeff Mayweather, are well-known boxers. While Floyd Sr. was a super welterweight contender and trainer, Jeffery was a 1990s lightweight contender. Floyd’s son, Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr., is also a famous boxer.

Apart from Floyd and Jeffery, he had another brother named Theartha Mayweather Jr., who died early. Additionally, he has five sisters, among whom Anna (Parker) Jacobs, Eloise (Lloydell) Harris and Jackie Mayweather are still living, while Evelyn Mayweather and Dorothy Patterson have passed away.

Little is known about his childhood except that he caught the boxing bug from his elder brother, Floyd Mayweather Sr., who in turn caught it from Danny Brown, a grade school classmate. Very soon, Roger began working out at the gym along with his two brothers and three cousins.

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Junior Lightweight & Lightweight

Roger Mayweather began boxing in his teens, quickly gaining an impressive amateur record of 64-4. In 1981, he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he made his pro boxing debut against Andrew Ruiz on July 29, 1981, winning the fight by TKO in round 1.

His next match, held on August 5, 1981, was against Jaime Nava. He not only won this match, but also continued to win successive fights, beating Ruben Muñoz Jr. on October 23, 1982, to win the USBA lightweight (135 lb) title. By January 1983, he had improved his record to 14-0.

On January 19, 1983, he appeared against Samuel Serrano, beating him by TKO in round 8 and thus earning the World Boxing Association World Super Feather title. Serrano had entered the bout with a record of 49-3-1, losing only once since 1976.

He experienced his first loss on February 22, 1984, when he was knocked out in round 1 by Rocky Lockridge. Until then, he had won seventeen consecutive fights, defending his title twice more: first against Jorge Alvarado and then against Benedicto Villablanca.

On May 12, 1985, Roger Mayweather beat Kenny Baysmoreto to win the USBA Super Feather title. The win qualified him to fight against WBC Junior Lightweight champion, Julio César Chávez, on July 7, 1985, a match he lost by TKO.

On November 28, 1986, he beat Sammy Fuentes for the World Boxing Council Continental Americas Lightweight title. But he failed to win the NABF Lightweight title, when on March 28, 1987, he lost to Pernell Whitaker.

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Junior Welterweight

In late 1987, Roger Mayweather moved to Junior Welterweight (140 lb) division, facing Rene Arredondo, the WBC Junior Welterweight champion, on November 12, 1987.Leading all along on the scorecards, he was able to knock down Arredondo three times in round 6, eventually winning the bout by TKO.

Throughout 1988, he continued to win, defending his title four times, first against Mauricio Aceves (March 24), then Harold Brazier (June 06), Rodolfo Gonzalez (September 22), and finally against Vinny Pazienza (November 07). By then, he was nicknamed "The Mexican assassin" because of his frequent wins over Mexican fighters.

On May 13, 1989, he lost his WBC Junior Welterweight championship title to Julio César Chávez, a rising legend with a 63-0 record. He had to retire after he was physically hurt in round 10.

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Returning to the boxing ring in February 1990, he won six consecutive matches before losing to Rafael Pineda. Thereafter, he continued to fight, losing some, winning more, beating famous boxers like Livingstone Bramble (March 14, 1993), Eduardo Montes (May 28, 1994) and Marco Antonio Ramirez (June 16, 1994).

Career as a Trainer

On August 4, 1994, Roger Mayweather won his first International Boxing Organization World Welterweight Title (147 lb), beating Johnny Bizzarro by unanimous decision, defending the belt against Aaron McLaurine on February 17, 1995. In June, he fought Kostya Tszyu for the IBF junior welterweight title but lost.

In 1996, he appeared in two fights, winning over Tom McCain and losing to Juan Soberanes. From this period onwards, he began to concentrate more on training his nephew, Floyd Mayweather Jr. Floyd’s father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., was serving prison sentences during this period.

In 1997, he appeared only in one bout, winning the IBA Welterweight title on March 12, 1997, against Carlos Miranda. This was the last title he won.

In 1998, as Floyd Mayweather Sr. came out of the prison, he took over his son’s training, replacing Roger Mayweather as the trainer. On November 13, Roger appeared in his last but one bout, beating Patrick Byrd in it.

On May 8, 1999, he appeared in his last bout, winning over Javier Francisco Mendez by majority decision. In the following year, he returned to the ring as his nephew’s trainer. Since then, he has been training numerous boxing aspirants.

Controversies & Scandals

On April 8, 2006, Roger Mayweather became embroiled in a controversy when Floyd Mayweather Jr. was fighting Zab Judah. When Floyd Jr. was hit below the belt near the end of the tenth round, Roger Mayweather entered the ring and had a scuffle with Judah’s father-cum-trainer, resulting in a US $200,000 fine and a one-year suspension.

In August 2009, Mayweather was arrested in Las Vegas. He was charged with two felony battery counts for choking and punching Melissa St. Vil, one of his former boxers, in an apartment owned by him. He, however, avoided imprisonment by striking a deal with the prosecutor.

Family & Personal Life

Little is known about Roger Mayweather’s personal life except that he has two children: a daughter named Jade and a son named Lekei.

Roger Mayweather Biography