Floyd Mayweather Officially Stripped Of WBO Welterweight Title Won Against Manny Pacquiao


Floyd Mayweather’s highly-publicized fight against Manny Pacquiao is making headlines yet again, but this time around, the coverage has nothing to do with rumors about who actually won the fight. There’s no doubting the fact that Mayweather did, indeed, win the fight due to a unanimous decision back in May, but apparently, he still won’t be considered the WBO welterweight champion of the world. Multiple news outlets have confirmed that he been stripped of the WBO welterweight title.

According to Yahoo News!, the WBO has released an official statement to ESPN detailing its decision. Although Mayweather pocketed more than $200 million from the fight, which broke numerous revenue records and generated $600 million in pay-per-view and ticket revenue, the 38-year-old undefeated boxer has failed to pay the $200,000 sanctioning fee.

He also failed to vacate the two junior middleweight titles he also holds, which also violates WBO regulations. So, the WBO has announced that it has no other choice but to strip Mayweather of the welterweight belt.

“Mr. Mayweather, Jr. failed to pay the $200,000.00 fee required of him as a participant of a WBO World Championship Contest,” the WBO wrote in a statement to ESPN. “Despite affording Mr. Mayweather Jr. the courtesy of an extension to advise us of his position within the WBO Welterweight Division and to vacate the two 154-pound world titles he holds, the WBO World Championship Committee received no response from him or his legal representatives on this matter.”

“The WBO World Championship Committee is allowed no other alternative but to cease to recognize Mr. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. as the WBO Welterweight Champion of the World and vacate his title.”

“The WBO has the utmost respect for Floyd Mayweather Jr. and all that he has accomplished during his storied career,” the WBO wrote in its resolution. “Mr. Mayweather has always agreed with and understood that world championships have both privileges and responsibilities and that status as WBO champion is subject to and conditioned on compliance with the WBO rules and regulations.”

Needless to say, the Mayweather camp definitely isn’t pleased with the WBO’s decision. According to ESPN, Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe has also released a statement on behalf of the boxer in response to the WBO.

“It’s a complete disgrace,” Ellerbe told ESPN.com. “Floyd will decide what, or if any, actions he will take. But in the meantime he’s enjoying a couple of hundred million he made from his last outing and this has zero impact on anything he does. Floyd Mayweather has a great deal of respect for each and every organization, as he has always had in his 19-year career, but he will not be dictated to by any organization or person as it relates to his decision-making.”

No further details have been announced in regards to Floyd Mayweather’s plans to appeal the decision.

[Photo(s) by Al Bello / Getty Images]

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