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Mayweather stripped of WBO title

July 7, 2015

After beating Manny Pacquiao in the fight billed as 'The Fight of the Century', Floyd Mayweather has lost his WBO title. For all the talk and performance from the US boxer, he is now without the coveted title.

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. celebrates the unanimous decision victory during the welterweight unification championship bout
Image: Getty Images

Floyd Mayweather has been stripped of the welterweight world title he won against Manny Pacquiao last month after failing to pay his 'sanctioning' fee on time. Boxers who compete in World Boxing Organization (WBO) matches are obliged to pay three times their purse - up to a limit of 180,000 euros ($200,000).

"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, for failing to comply with our WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests," the WBO said in a statement.

Mayweather claimed the welterweight title with a win over Pacquiao in the richest fight of all-time in Las Vegas on May 2. The American made a reported sum of 181 million euros ($200 million) for the fight, which generated 400 million dollars, the biggest pay-per-view revenue in the United States.

WBO rules state that WBO champions are not allowed to hold world titles in different weight categories - Mayweather is currently WBC and WBA champion at junior middleweight, as well as at welterweight.

"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."

Mayweather has two weeks to launch his appeal, but the WBO are expected to announce American Timothy Bradley as the new interim champion.

rd/jh (AFP)