Roger Mayweather, a former professional boxer and trainer to his nephew Floyd Mayweather Jr., has died at the age of 58.
Representatives for Floyd Mayweather confirmed the news to TheWrap on Tuesday. No cause of death was immediately made public, but according to TMZ, the elder Mayweather was believed to have been in declining health for some time.
“My uncle Roger Mayweather has lost a lot of memory from the sport of boxing,” Floyd said in a 2015 interview with FightHype.com. “He’s only in his 50’s, but it seems like he’s an old man in his 80’s…boxing is wear and tear on the body.”
Roger Mayweather competed as a professional boxer between 1981 and 1999, when he retired to serve as a trainer to his nephew. Throughout his career, Roger won 59 of his 72 professional fights, winning the WBA super-featherweight world title and WBC light-welterweight world title among other distinctions.
After Floyd fired his father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., as his trainer and manager in 2000, he brought Roger on as his trainer, a role he held until 2012. Under Roger’s guidance, Floyd Jr. went on to become one of the most accomplished fighters of all time, holding numerous major world titles and retiring in 2015 with an undefeated record.
In the 2015 interview, Floyd Jr. said his uncle’s declining health contributed to his decision to retire.
“He don’t even know who I am anymore,” he said, explaining that his uncle was prone to mood swings or sudden disappearances. “He’s not doing well … he’s not sharp as he used to be, and you must realize, me and my uncle Roger was fighting professional at the same time…it hurts.”