Floyd Mayweather was left exhausted after being beaten up during sparring.
Nobody rises to the occasion, quite like the American, with the legend consistently producing tremendous performances before walking away from the sport with a 50-0 record.
However, he wasn’t always at his best in the gym. In one interview, Mayweather confessed bad sparring sessions made him want to quit boxing.
And on a day he’d rather forget, the gifted practitioner of the sweet science took a lot of punishment.
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Floyd Mayweather got battered in sparring by Paul Spadafora
In 1999, Floyd Mayweather engaged in an intense sparring session with Paul Spadafora.
At the time, ‘Pretty Boy’ was in the third year of his iconic career, while his countryman was preparing to defend his IBF lightweight world championship.
Footage showcased Spadafora bullying Mayweather against the ropes and unleashing vicious shots.
The talented fighter effortlessly maneuvered around the future all-time great, confusing him with angles, before unleashing his bombs, including a thunderous straight left hand.
In a testament to his fighting heart, Mayweather threw back in return, but he was ultimately outgunned, and following the session, dropped to the ground out of exhaustion.
Floyd Mayweather got dropped in the only official knockdown of his career
While Spadafora had Mayweather in a spot of bother, it wasn’t until 2001 that the world witnessed the superstar go down for the first time.
In a brilliant performance, the Michigan athlete completely outboxed his opponent, who’d eventually win a world title.
But in a moment of near disaster, the now Boxing Hall of Famer suffered an injury in the middle of the contest.
Suffering from pain, Mayweather touched the canvas in the only official knockdown of his career.