Floyd Mayweather has suffered a second personal heartbreak in a matter of days after his uncle Roger, who played an integral role in his fabled career, passed away aged 58 according to TMZ.
The former boxer, who retired in 1999, reportedly had been suffering from poor health including diabetes, and had held the mitts for Floyd when he first set foot in professional boxing.
Tuesday’s news follows from what has been a tough period for Floyd, after Josie Harris, the mother of his three children, was found dead in her car by police in California last week.
Despite the pair being separated, the 43-year-old has spent the last few days posting to his Instagram page images of himself and Harris during happier times.
The pictures were posted along with tributes calling her ‘my rock’ ‘my friend’ and ‘my angel and ‘my love’.
Roger was a key member of Floyd’s training team, training the 50-0 boxer when he made his pro debut in 1996 until his father, Floyd Senior, was released from prison two years later.
The pair reunited in 2000 and were an iconic fighter-trainer duo for 12 years as Floyd established himself as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, as well as being a pay-per-view king.
Owing to health problems, Roger retired from coaching and Floyd Senior took over as head coach for the twilight of his son’s career.
Roger fought 72 fights as a professional, winning 59 of them over an 18-year boxing career. He held the WBA and super featherweight title and WBC light welterweight title during his career.
His fighting career is best noted for his memorable bouts with Julio Cesar Chavez and Ray Mancini.
