Floyd Mayweather may retire with a perfect 50-0 record, but not every win is routine.

His last fight against UFC star Conor McGregor was a lucrative show and the richest way to go from 49 to 50. Yet long before he was “Money” Mayweather, he was “Beautiful Boy” – a boxer who carved his way through the super-featherweight and lightweight divisions at a time when his rise was shaped by money rather than persona.

Mayweather’s last fight at 130 pounds was against Jesus Chavez in November 2001. Having held the WBC title since 1998, his eighth defense proved to be his last.

Mayweather used the challenger’s advantage against Chavez, and after the ninth round, trainer Ronny Shields benched his opponent. Later, Mayweather confirmed his decision to move to lightweight and made his intentions clear.

“I’m after Castillo.”

Jose Luis Castillo, then in his second year of holding the WBC lightweight title, knew a challenge was looming. When the two met on April 20, 2002, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Mayweather was victorious again – albeit in controversial fashion. The pro-Castillo crowd greeted the scorecards of 115-111 (twice) and 116-111 with loud boos, unimpressed by the unfair verdict.

sponsor Bob Arum was one of the loudest critics of the review and was later told ESPN Who he thinks should make this decision.

“Look at Harold Lederman’s commentary on HBO – he scored it 116-111 for Castillo – and look at the boxing stats. And then, not only did they score Floyd unanimously, they scored it like it wasn’t even a competitive fight. They gave him all the rounds. What kind of crazy is that score?

“Castillo won that game eight to four. I mean, there’s no doubt about it.”

Mayweather was unhappy with his performance and vowed to rematch Castillo. The two met again in December of the same year This time, the Americans had no doubts. He was even more convincing in his return, showing dominance and emerging as the clear and deserved winner on the scorecards.