Why Floyd Mayweather Pulls No Punches With Social Media

Floyd “Money” Mayweather will tell you he’s the greatest boxer in the world, and with a professional record of 42-0 he may well be right. But what’s not up for debate is whether any other fighter is within punching distance of him in the digital ring.

Mayweather has more than 2.7 million followers on Twitter, where he frequently interacts with fans and posts updates on adventures with his crew of friends and supporters, the Money Team. But Twitter is just the beginning of Mayweather’s online involvement. He has about 1.3 million subscribers on Facebook, and his YouTube channel has amassed nearly 5 million views. He’s even using Instagram, where he’s racked up nearly 300,000 followers to become one of that network’s most popular athletes.

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Mayweather is more than popular, though — he’s also creative and original. He recently used his website FloydMayweather.com to live-broadcast a full day of training for his upcoming title fight against Miguel Cotto. In another recent example, he used Spotify to share the music he uses to get pumped up during his fight prep.

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Mayweather takes on Cotto this Saturday night, but carved out some time from his training schedule to trade emails with Mashable. Read on to see why he keeps his social presence authentic, how he stays connected with fans, and what he’s excited about next in the tech space.


QA with Floyd Mayweather, Jr.


People know you’re big on Twitter, but many don’t realize that’s only the beginning of your tech involvement. Want to give everyone the fuller picture?

I like all of the tech platforms, and try to use them all too. I have accounts on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and a very active website. We post a lot of the things I do on all of them. For me, it’s all about entertainment, and then to make sure whatever I am doing shows up on all my sites or posts is a great thing. I give the fans what they want to see. 

You really seem to enjoy using the Internet to give fans a look at what your life is like. Why?

As I have said before, what you see is what you get. I like to engage my fans in every way possible and show them what it is really like behind-the-scenes. With all of the technology now, I put the Money Team to task and told them whenever we can entertain the fans — including my training for a fight and things that go on in the gym — I want to do it. It’s also important to me that fans, especially the younger ones, see the hard work it takes to be the best. My fans have been dedicated to my career, and it’s the least I can do to give back to them. 

Social media can lead to controversy, though. During Linsanity, you got some criticism when you tweeted that Lin wouldn’t be getting as much praise if he was black. Was that more an example of how social media can be a trap for athletes, or more an example of the unfiltered authenticity that makes Twitter great?

Even though this is old news by now, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I stand by what I said. Remember that I started the tweet with saying he’s a good player, but no one wanted to say anything about that part of the tweet. I am outspoken and feel it is okay to say how I feel, whether or not some people don’t agree with me.   

Earlier this year, people were pretty amused by some photos @50cent tweeted of you two posing with huge stacks of cash. What’s the backstory there?

50 is one of my best friends. We met almost 10 years ago, and have a strong bond and friendship.  We have a lot in common, do our thing and have fun, too.   

After your fight this weekend, what’s next for Floyd Mayweather in the tech and digital ring?

Right now, my focus is Miguel Cotto on May 5. But once the fight is over, I will refocus on this area. I constantly come across new startup opportunities. I recently saw a demo for a casino game for the iPhone by RockLive that looks amazing. The CEO is my friend, and I keep telling him to get it out as soon as he can because I can’t wait to play it. 

Thumbnail image courtesy of FloydMayweather.com

This story originally published on Mashable here.

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