Floyd Mayweather’s most formidable opponent needed to be saved from himself as the self-professed ‘Best Ever’ worked him over in their 2000 fight.
On October 21, Mayweather faced Emanuel Augustus at Cobo Hall in Detroit between WBC super featherweight title defenses against Gregorio Vargas and Diego Corrales. ‘The Drunken Master’ would be ideal preparation for what was expected to be a hard slog against Corrales three months later.
Augustus, who later took the honor of being Mayweather’s most formidable foe, gave the future 50-0 superstar all he could handle in the fight without any notion of claiming victory. Mayweather was too fast and good for Augustus, who deployed as many tricks of the trade as possible to remain in the fight. In the end, it took a plea for mercy from trainer Nelson Lopez to end it with a round remaining.
Mayweather quickly opened a cut above Augustus’ eye and built on that by breaking down the Chicago native with peppers of shots throughout. Augustus tried to give as good as he got and, at times, had success. However, Mayweather always had the final say in the exchanges.
Into round four, Mayweather was beginning to bust Augustus up before going into defensive mode as he took a breather. Once he’d recharged, Mayweather unleashed another damaging barrage even though Augustus kept coming forward.
Midway through the contest, Augustus’ relentlessness paid dividends as Mayweather showed signs of wear and tear. Despite being in total control of the scorecards, Mayweather wasn’t having it all his own way.
Taking another breath, Mayweather allowed Augustus to work but was still getting caught throughout his attacks, so much so that the ringside doctor looked at Augustus to his disgust. Augustus was allowed to continue but knew taking too much more would end the fight.
Floyd Mayweather was bringing it to Emanuel Augustus 😤 pic.twitter.com/kxXdJ15CvP
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) July 15, 2024
The following round was all Mayweather, with the physician examining Augustus again halfway through the session. In the corner, Lopez told Augustus that he had to show something in the ninth, or he’d stop the fight.
It took only a few seconds over a minute of the round for Lopez to stand on the ring apron and plead for referee Dale Grable to call the fight off. Augustus’s ability to withstand massive punishment is likely why Mayweather made those claims regarding his opponent later in his career.
Speaking to FightHype about Augustus, Mayweather said, “Before the fight, I heard he had got robbed [by bad decisions] a lot of times. I believe that’s true.
“It was a good fight, and he’s a tough motherf***er. I had to dig deep,” Mayweather added. “Emmanuel Augustus was my toughest opponent. His record didn’t show his skill set, but the guy was unbelievable.
“He didn’t have the best record in the sport of boxing. He has never won a world title. But he came to fight, and, of course, at that particular time, I had taken a long layoff. He’s a true warrior, a true champion.
Speaking about his desire to compete despite ending his career losing 34 of 78 bouts, Augustus opened up in an interview with Boxing News. He said, “I just liked to fight. I just wanted to be able to get in there and do it. I didn’t need to be motivated as I was already motivated to do it.
“But I liked to fight, and I like fighting. That’s probably a bad thing to say. It’s probably even worse to feel good about it, but it is what it is. I am a fighter. I was born to fight. And when I die, I’m going to die with boxing gloves on and a mouthpiece in. That’s my frame of mind. Every time I turn around, I’m fighting for something.”
Emanuel Augustus is undoubtedly one tough man.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
