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Mayweather stripped of title he won in Pacquiao fight

Floyd Mayweather Jr has been stripped of the welterweight world title he won after beating Filipino Manny Pacquiao this year for failing to comply with rules, the World Boxing Organization (WBO) said on Monday.

Mayweather had missed a deadline by which he had to pay a US$200,000 (S$270,000) sanctioning fee from the fight and vacate the junior middleweight title he also held, the WBO said in a statement.

The WBO said it is against rules for boxers to hold world titles in multiple weight classes and that Mayweather had to indicate which weight division he would retain.

Mayweather, who finished ahead on all three scorecards of what proved to be the top-grossing prize fight of all-time, had until last Friday to advise the WBO of his position.

Said the WBO in a statement: “The WBO World Championship Committee is allowed no other alternative but to cease to recognize Mr Floyd Mayweather Jr as the WBO Welterweight Champion of the World and vacate his title, for failing to comply with our WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests.”

Interim WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley will step up to take the belt.

Mayweather, who earned over US$200 million from the fight which generated a record pay-per-view revenue in the United States of US$400 million, has two weeks to launch an appeal. 

'Disgrace'

His camp is none too happy with the decision. 

"It's a complete disgrace," said Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe, speaking to ESPN.com.

"Floyd will decide what, or if any, actions he will take. But in the meantime he's enjoying a couple of hundred million he made from his last outing and this has zero impact on anything he does."

"Floyd Mayweather has a great deal of respect for each and every organisation, as he has always had in his 19-year career, but he will not be dictated to by any organisation or person as it relates to his decision making."

After the fight with Pacquiao, Mayweather had indicated that he would vacate his titles. 

He said: "Other fighters need a chance. Give other fighters a chance. I'm not greedy. I'm a world champion in two different weight classes. It's time to let other fighters fight for the belt."

Sources: Reuters, ESPN.com

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