Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Henry Bruseles

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Henry Bruseles

Date	January 22, 2005
Venue	American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida, U.S.
Title(s) on the line	WBC Super Lightweight title eliminator
Tale of the tape
Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. Henry Bruseles Nickname Pretty Boy El Nitro Hometown Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. Gurabo, Puerto Rico Pre-fight record 32–0 (21 KO) 21–2–1 (13 KO) Age 27 years, 10 months 24 years, 7 months Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) Weight 139 lb (63 kg) 139 lb (63 kg) Style Orthodox Orthodox Recognition WBC No. 1 Ranked Light Welterweight WBA/IBF/The Ring No. 3 Ranked Light Welterweight The Ring No. 2 ranked pound-for-pound fighter 2-divison world champion WBO No. 3 Ranked Light Welterweight WBC No. 17 Ranked Light Welterweight
Result
Mayweather wins via 8th-round technical knockout

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Henry Bruseles was a professional boxing match contested on January 22, 2005.

Background

Floyd Mayweather Jr. had made his debut at super lightweight eight months prior on May 22, 2004, defeating DeMarcus Corley in a WBC super lightweight title eliminator to become the WBC's number-one contender and mandatory challenger to super lightweight champion Arturo Gatti, whom Mayweather had heavily pursued. Two months later, Gatti successfully defended his title against Leonard Doroftei. Though Gatti had remained non-committal about facing Mayweather before defeating Doroftei, instead mentioning Paul Spadafora as a possible opponent, he answered "Mayweather, of course" when asked who he would like to face next immediately after defeating Doroftei. In June 2004, Mayweather was convicted on two counts of battery stemming from an incident between him and two women at a Las Vegas nightclub. Mayweather was given a one-year suspended sentence, ordered to undergo counseling and was inactive for the remainder of the year. In December, it was announced that Mayweather would return to boxing to face little-known Puerto Rican fighter Henry Bruseles on January 22 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. Officially recognized as a WBC super lightweight title eliminator, the bout was expected to be a tune-up for Mayweather prior to facing Gatti later in June 2005. Gatti would face aging former super featherweight champion Jesse James Leija in a tune-up bout of his own a week after the Mayweather–Bruseles fight.

The fight

Mayweather dominated the overmatched Bruseles, winning every round and landing combinations almost at will throughout the fight. The end came in eighth round after Mayweather forced Bruseles to take a knee after landing a right uppercut to the body. Bruseles was able to get back up, took a standing eight-count and continued the fight, but Mayweather went on the attack and again sent Bruseles to his knees after landing a combination to his head. Bruseles again answered referee Jorge Alonso's standing eight-count and was about to continue the fight, but his trainer Evangelista Cotto jumped onto the ring apron signifying he wanted the fight stopped. Alonso then called the fight with five seconds left in the round, giving Mayweather the victory by technical knockout.

Fight card

Confirmed bouts:

Weight Class	Weight		vs.		Method	Round	Notes
Super Lightweight	140 lbs.	Floyd Mayweather Jr.	def.	Henry Bruseles	TKO	8/12	note 1
Heavyweight	200+ lbs.	Samuel Peter	def.	Yanqui Díaz	TKO	5/12	note 2
Welterweight	147 lbs.	Terry Lantz	vs.	Jose Angel Roman	D	6/6
Heavyweight	200+ lbs.	Albert Sosnowski	def.	Tommy Connelly	TKO	2/6
Lightweight	135 lbs.	Daniel Jiménez	def.	Isidro Tejedor	TKO	4/6
Heavyweight	200+ lbs.	Victor Bisbal	def.	Douglas Robertson	UD	4/4

^Note 1 WBC Super Lightweight Title Eliminator
^Note 2 For IBF USBA Heavyweight Title

Broadcasting

Country	Broadcaster
United States	HBO