A record shared by boxing legends Floyd Mayweather and Joe Louis may never be broken in the current format the sport holds today.
Due to inactivity by many top stars, 26 world title victories in succession look to be nailed-on benchmark and potentially untouchable.
One of the greatest boxers of all time, Mayweather, holds one of the most incredible resumes ever compiled by a professional. Mayweather’s progression from an Olympic bronze medal to a contender to world champion to boxing’s biggest star was a sight to behold from beginning to end.
“The Best Ever” made his journey from disappointed Olympian to professional look easy, and it wasn’t long before he was mixing it with the big boys.
1998 saw Mayweather’s sternest test of his young tenure. He was still known as “Pretty Boy” Floyd when he faced Genaro Hernandez in 1998. Floyd Mayweather announced himself on the world stage, stopping the US-based Mexican in eight rounds.
Louis managed the same feat at heavyweight between 1939 and 1947.
Floyd Mayweather’s world title fight record
SUPER-FEATHERWEIGHT – 1998 to 2001
1. Genaro Hernandez – Eighth-round stoppage, winning the WBC super-featherweight title.
2. Angel Manfredy – Second-round stoppage, the first defense of his title.
3. Carlos Rios – Unanimous decision, successful second defense.
4. Justin Juuko – Ninth-round KO, third defense.
5. Carlos Gerena – When stoppages came easy for Floyd Mayweather, Gerena was outed in seven.
6. Gregorio Vargas – Vargas went the distance as Floyd made it five defenses.
7. Diego Corrales – After a brief move up to lightweight, Mayweather came back down to beat Corrales in ten.
8. Carlos Hernandez – Unanimous verdict for the seventh defense of the WBC belt.
9. Jesus Chavez – Mayweather beat Chavez in nine for an eighth and final defense.
LIGHTWEIGHT – 2002 to 2003
As his super-featherweight run got put to bed, Mayweather ran straight into trouble against Jose Luis Castillo. The Mexican troubled Mayweather before surrendering the WBC lightweight title on points.
10. Jose Luis Castillo I – Won the WBC lightweight title.
11. Jose Luis Castillo II – First defense in another unanimous win.
12. Victoriano Sosa – UD, second defense.
13. Philip Ndou – The first stoppage at 135 but Mayweather’s last fight at the weight after three green and gold strap defenses.
SUPER-LIGHTWEIGHT – 2005
A one-off move to 140 saw Floyd Mayweather take on a faded Arturo Gatti, merely living off his name at that point. A mismatch only for Pay Per View purposes was always going to end early.
14. Arturo Gatti – Retired in six, Gatti gave Mayweather his WBC super-lightweight crown.
WELTERWEIGHT – 2006
A warm-up against Sharma Mitchell in 2005 saw Mayweather challenging Zab Judah in 2006 for the IBF welterweight title.
15. Zab Judah – A fiery match-up marred by in-ring fighting ended with Mayweather winning the IBF strap.
16. Carlos Baldomir – The controversial Argentinian offered nothing but a hard head as Floyd Mayweather won all of the rounds.
SUPER-WELTERWEIGHT – 2007
A brief excursion up to 150 pounds for the most significant Pay Per View offering of its time, Mayweather took De La Hoya’s mantle as the top PPV star.
17. Oscar De La Hoya – The Pay Per View guard changing as Mayweather won a split decision.
WELTERWEIGHT – 2007 to 2011
Mayweather was most inactive during this period as he struggled with his desire to continue in the ring. Twice during this time, Mayweather announced at least a semi-retirement.
18. Ricky Hatton – Mayweather beat the Englishman in ten before he took nearly two years off. It would be almost four years before his next title bout.
19. Victor Ortiz – Returning to title action, Mayweather won the WBC welterweight crown in his 19th title bout. Ortiz was blindsided and stopped via TKO in four.
SUPER-WELTERWEIGHT – 2012
In a fight that almost didn’t occur due to a prison sentence, Mayweather eventually brokered a deal to serve his sentence after the battle.
20. Miguel Cotto – Moving up to “super-welterweight” for a second fight at 150 pounds or above, Mayweather won another world title at his fifth weight.
WELTERWEIGHT – 2013
21. Robert Guerrero – A largely one-sided effort from Floyd Mayweather in a short move back down to 147.
SUPER-WELTERWEIGHT – 2013
Heading up for the final time, Mayweather defeated the up-and-coming fighter of the generation via a controversial majority score.
22. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez—Mayweather taught the young Mexican a lesson that will serve him well in the future.
WELTERWEIGHT – 2014 to RETIREMENT
Mayweather saw out his career as a welterweight as he began to run out of opponents.
23. Marcos Maidana I – The Argentine did enough to earn a rematch, nothing more, in the WBA and WBC title fight.
24. Marcos Maidana II – Convincing win for Mayweather the second time around.
Billed as the biggest fight in some years, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao finally agreed to fight. It was five years too late, proving this was the case.
25. Manny Pacquiao – A drab win for Mayweather as Pacquiao complained of a shoulder injury. Mayweather won his fifteenth world title belt in the process.
26. Andre Berto – In his career’s final world title fight, Mayweather won a shut-out decision in his 26th world championship bout.
The run ended when Mayweather walked away, dropped his pound-for-pound ratings, and won championships before facing Conor McGregor in 2017 for ‘The Money Belt’ at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Unfortunately for the ‘Money’ man, this trinket could never be considered a world title in what was essentially an exhibition fight.
For his efforts, the multi-time Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year was crowned WBN Fighter of the Decade from 2010 to 2019.
Floyd Mayweather’s 26 straight victories [shared with Louis] in championship bouts is a world record that still stands today.
It’s a legacy that will take some beating.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
