Floyd Mayweather stripped of title he won in Manny Pacquiao fight
American failed to indicate which belt he wanted to retain after winning in multiple weight divisions
Floyd Mayweather Jnr 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 Organisation said.
Mayweather, who improved to 48-0 by beating Pacquiao in May, missed a deadline by which he had to pay a US$200,000 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 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.
"The WBO World Championship Committee is allowed no other alternative but to cease to recognise 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," the WBO said in a statement.
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.