For years boxing fans both rabid and casual have been eagerly awaiting, theorizing, and fantasizing about the potential of a Floyd "Money" Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao matchup. With the dream match finally coming to fruition on Saturday, May 2nd - high-profile fans of the sport and/or the fighters have come out of the wood-works to wave their respective flags.
No matter what side of the odds you are on, though, it's hard to deny that Mayweather's squad rolls particularly deep. While Pacman has his share of loyalists, it seems as the the majority of the hip-hop community's loyalty lies with "Money."
Follow us as we detail some of the most vigilant supporters of Mayweather in the rap world.
Diddy
Forever a high-roller, Diddy recently made headlines by placing $250,000 on the line in support of Floyd Mayweather, against Mark Wahlberg who matched the price in support of Manny Pacquiao. That wasn’t the first instance of Diddy repping TMT (and thank God, because you’d hate to see someone potentially lose 250k betting on a stranger). In fact, Diddy performed with Meek Mil at the afterparty of Floyd “Money” Mayweather’s 2013 victory over Canelo Alvarez. The afterparty was also attended by rappers 2 Chainz, Lil Kim, Bow Wow, Rick Ross, among others. Hopefully Mayweather isn’t upset with Diddy, who sold his mansion to his opponent Pacquiao for $12.5 million and two pairs of tickets to the big fight.
Raekwon
Raekwon has been a fervent supporter of Floyd “Money” Mayweather over the years. The Wu-Tang Clan member has chosen the Michigan-born boxer to be victorious over his seemingly perpetual rival Manny Pacquiao for years now, once saying in 2010 ‘“I’m riding with Floyd. He’s the Muhammad Ali of today… It’s crazy because me and Floyd developed a relationship when he first came into the business. So I’m loyal to that man as far as wanting him to win. I know he talks crazy, but that’s just a part of being young. When you achieve those kind of successes, you tend to act like that. But as far as skill is concerned, I believe he can win by fighting tall.” Raekwon isn’t lying about being by Mayweather’s side since the beginning - in the video for the 1999 Raekwon classic “100 Rounds” a young and then “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather is featured as the main character.
50 Cent and Floyd Mayweather share a checkered past. Starting their friendship over a decade ago when meeting at a conference in Puerto Rico in 2002, the two would go on to share the spotlight together for years to come. From XXL covers, to a rumored compilation album, ring escorts, and even picking up Floyd Mayweather after he served a couple of months in prison for domestic assault - it seemed as though the pair had formed a brotherhood. However, things went sour after "The Money Team." Floyd and Fif’s boxing promotion company resulted in Mayweather owing 50 cent an alleged $2 million. 50 went on to dismiss it as a publicity stunt that was rooted in real-life issues, but ultimately was merely fun and games. If you’re taking that with a grain of salt and have any doubt that the two aren’t still tight, you should take 50’s latest $1.6 million bet on Mayweather defeating Manny Pacquiao as proof that they’re doing just fine.
While we wait for Dizzy Wright’s overdue sophomore release, now announced for a May release, Dizzy Wright whet the appetites of both his eager audience and the eager Mayweather/Pacquiao audience by releasing “Floyd Mayweather” and an accompanying music video. The Vegas born emcee is no stranger to fight night, and so the song is a fitting tribute to the tenacious fighter.
Lil Wayne
An avid boxing fan, Lil Wayne has been in attendance for numerous Mayweather fights over the years. However, he brought his fanhood to the next level when he not only escorted Mayweather to the ring for fights in 2012 and 2014. We’ll try to forget that Justin Bieber was also involved on both occasions and, instead, focus on the awesomeness that was Lil Wayne performing “Believe Me” as Floyd “Money” Mayweather walked to the ring for his fight against Marcos Maidano.
Rick Ross
After a brief history of disses and ultimately squashed beef, Rick Ross has gone from being an enemy of Floyd Mayweather, to being one of the boxers’ most high-profile supporters/friends. For the Mayweather/Maidano weigh-in in 2014, Mayweather chose to have Rick Ross and fellow rapper 2 Chainz accompany him. Even more recently, Rick Ross was filmed visiting Mayweather’s training camp - helping encourage the superstar fighter as he prepares for the biggest fight of his life.