Floyd Mayweather may have stepped away from professional boxing. But he remains deeply involved in the sport, whether through his high-profile exhibition bouts or as the face of Mayweather Promotions. Over the years, his promotional company has been home to several notable fighters, including Gervonta Davis, Rolando Romero, and others.
However, many of those fighters eventually parted ways with the promotion in pursuit of better opportunities. While the public is well aware of the friction between Mayweather and Davis following their split, it turns out Davis wasn’t the only one to face challenges under the Mayweather Promotions banner.
Ahead of his dominant win over George Kambosos Jr., IBF super lightweight champion Richardson Hitchins opened up about his own experience with the company. Having been signed from 2017 to 2022, Hitchins revealed that he often felt overlooked during his time there, shedding light on the reasons behind his decision to move on.
“The last conversation [Floyd and I] had was he was kind of trying to get me to re-sign with him because I asked Leonard [Ellerbe] to let me go,” Hitchins told Ring Champs with Ak & Barak. “I wasn’t happy with how my career was going.” The 27-year-old compared his dynamics with Mayweather Promotions to “a toxic relationship,” refusing to re-sign with them.
November 15, 2023, Los Angeles, California, USA: Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. attends the regular season NBA, Basketball Herren, USA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday November 15, 2023 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. Lakers lose to Kings, 125-110. JAVIER ROJAS/PI Los Angeles USA – ZUMAp124 20231115_zaa_p124_026 Copyright: xJavierxRojasx
His decision to separate from the promotion was sparked by a conversation with Edgar Berlanga after Hitchins defeated Argenis Mendez. Berlanga told him that he was getting paid a lot more money to fight a lot less talented opponents, asking Hitchins to start working with Keith Connolly, Berlanga’s manager, instead.
After initially refusing the need for a manager, Hitchins quickly realized, “I’m beating dudes, that’s better than the guys [Berlanga is] fighting… he’s making a lot of money… and I’m barely making anything.” Hitchins’ coach later advised him to sit down with Connolly and discuss the prospects of working together.
“We sat down [with] Keith,” Hitchins revealed, adding that if he left Mayweather Promotions, Connolly would work with him. However, this wasn’t the last straw that broke the hypothetical back of their relationship.
Richardson Hitchins had to beg Floyd Mayweather
In 2022, Gervonta Davis and Rolando Romero were scheduled for their fight in Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York, which was a big card. Richardson, who is from Brooklyn, New York, wasn’t given the opportunity to be part of the card and make big money. This seems to have been the last straw that ended their relationship.
“Roley and Tank in New York,” Hitchins said. “I fought in Arizona a week before that when there was a big fight in my city. I’m not even on a card. I’m begging [Mayweather Promotions] to fight somebody to start getting my name out there. [Not being included in the Davis-Romero card] was kind of slapped into my face.” This prompted Hitchins to demand release from their contract.
When asked whether he had to pay money to Mayweather Promotions for early release, like Mayweather paid $750,000 to Top Rank, Hitchins claimed that was not the case. “My contract was already going to be up in like six months. So, Leonard was like, ‘I’m not going to hold you hostage. You’re not going to re-sign with us regardless. So, we’ll just let you go,’” Hitchins said during the interview.
It’s worth noting that Leonard Ellerbe stepped down as CEO of Mayweather Promotions on June 13, 2024, per an announcement made by Floyd Mayweather. However, speculations suggested there may have been differences between the business partners. Regardless, the biggest name in Mayweather Promotions today seems to be Curmel Moton.
That being said, Mayweather Promotions doesn’t appear to be mirroring the success Floyd Mayweather had in boxing. Richardson Hitchins’ statement suggests it’s due to negligence towards their own boxers. What do you make of Hitchins’ claims?
The post Floyd Mayweather Promotions’ Ex-Fighter Reveals Truth About Failed Partnership appeared first on EssentiallySports.