Floyd Mayweather Jr. retired with a perfect record, but one legendary trainer thinks there's a blemish that got missed.
Freddie Roach, one of boxing's greatest ever coaches, believes Mayweather shouldn't have won his first fight against Jose Luis Castillo. Roach made this claim before Mayweather's big showdown with Manny Pacquiao.
Mayweather hung up his gloves in 2017 after beating Conor McGregor. It was the 50th and final victory of his outstanding career. He won titles in five weight classes and beat some of the best, including Canelo Alvarez, Oscar De La Hoya, and Manny Pacquiao.
But Roach reckons Mayweather's undefeated record isn't quite right. He shared his thoughts on the Castillo fight from 2002:
"I thought Castillo won their first fight. He put pressure on Floyd and broke him down."
The fight went down at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas in the summer of 2002. Mayweather was defending his WBC world lightweight title. The judges gave him the win by unanimous decision, but not everyone agreed.
Many people watching, including Mayweather's promoter Bob Arum, thought Castillo should've gotten the nod. The controversy led to an immediate rematch where Mayweather won more convincingly.
Roach didn't stop at the Castillo fight. He also brought up another close call for 'Money' Mayweather:
"Floyd can say what he wants, but I saw Floyd get almost beat by Oscar and when he fought [Jose Luis] Castillo for the first time."
Roach went on to explain why he thought Pacquiao could give Mayweather trouble:
"I talked to him about Floyd when we had him in camp with us and he told me Pacquiao is faster and hits way harder than Mayweather."
Mayweather, now 48 and from Grand Rapids, Michigan, stands by his perfect record. But Roach's comments show that even the greats have fights where things could've gone the other way.
