Floyd Mayweather never tasted defeat as a professional, but he felt the gut-wrenching feeling when he boxed Augie Sanchez in the unpaid ranks.
The pair fought each other four times in the pros, with ‘Money’ Mayweather getting his hand raised thrice.
Sanchez’s sole triumph over the future five-weight world champion came in 1996 at the United States Olympic Trials.
The Las Vegas boxer got his hand raised on points in what is widely considered to be the last legitimate loss of Mayweather’s illustrious career.
On paper, his final defeat came to Bulgaria’s Serafim Todorov in the 1996 Olympic semi-finals, although that was a hugely controversial decision.
While Mayweather has written off his fight with Todorov as a ‘corrupt robbery’, he openly admits Sanchez beat him fair and square in their second meeting.
“I remember that [fight] like it was yesterday,” Sanchez told Boxing News 24/7.
“Yeah, it was a very entertaining fight. Me and Floyd go back, to 1994, when we both made the team and were both Golden Gloves champions; at the time, he was boxing at 106 pounds.
“And later on that year, we were in Colorado Springs at the Olympic training centre, getting ready for the Olympic festival.
“So we were roommates and we became close and had a good friendship.
“And then he decided to move up, skip the 119-pound division and go to the 125 division.
“And that’s when I ended up meeting him in the Nationals, the first year.
AFPSanchez beat Mayweather in the amateurs, and got KOd by Hamed in the pros[/caption]
AFPHe retired one year later at 24 years old[/caption]
“A lot of people don’t know about the first time we fought, when we fought in the Nationals, in the semi-finals.
“And we fought again at the Olympic trials in the finals, and that’s when I ended up beating him.
“It was a great fight, and I managed to land some great power shots on him. I beat him by countering and timing his punches.”
While Mayweather went on to book his place in the International Boxing Hall of Fame, with a sensational 50-0 pro career, Sanchez fell short of expectations when he ditched the headgear.
‘Kid Vegas’ won 26 of his first 27 fights en route to earning a shot at Prince Naseem Hamed‘s WBO featherweight world title in August 2000.
At the time, Hamed was undefeated and deemed untouchable by the British press.
However, Sanchez rolled the dice and gave Hamed a run for his money en route to the eventual stoppage.
Floyd Mayweather’s eight amateur losses
- Lost on points to Arnulfo Bravo at the 1994 United States Junior National Championships
- Lost on points to Martin Castillo at a 1994 United States vs Mexico dual meet in Las Vegas, Nevada
- Lost on points to Carlos Navarro at the 1995 United States Pan American Games Trials
- Lost on points to Juan Carlos Ramirez at a 1995 United States vs. Mexico dual meet at Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, Arizona
- Lost on points to Noureddine Madjhoud in the second round of the 1995 World Championships in Berlin
- Lost via walkover to Trigran Ouzlian at the 1995 Centennial tournament in Moscow
- Lost on points to Augie Sanchez at the 1996 United States Olympic Trials
- Lost on points to Serafim Todorov in the semi-finals of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia
In round two, Hamed touched down after absorbing two consecutive right hands, but the referee wrongfully ruled it a slip.
The pair then went toe to toe for four breathtaking rounds before Hamed dispatched his rival with a blistering combination that left Sanchez flat on his back.
Sanchez rebounded with a couple of wins over Luisito Espinosa and Daniel Jimenez before he was blasted away inside the opening stanza by John Michael Johnson in 2001, in what marked his final bow as a professional.
Shortly after, Sanchez hung up his gloves at the tender age of 24 and became a trainer after growing disillusioned with his in-ring career.
