George Floyd’s family has accepted Floyd Mayweather’s offer to pay for Floyd’s funeral and other memorial services.
Mayweather made the offer, according to a TMZ.com report Monday, because it’s what he feels is right for Floyd’s grieving family.
Mayweather will pay for Floyd’s funeral, which is scheduled for June 9 in Floyd’s hometown of Houston. TMZ also reported that the boxing legend will cover expenses for three additional services in Minneapolis, where Floyd lived at the time of his death, Charlotte and an undetermined location.
“He’ll probably get mad at me for saying that, but yes, [Mayweather] is definitely paying for the funeral,” Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, told ESPN.com on Monday.
Ellerbe also confirmed that Mayweather has been in touch with Floyd’s family, which accepted Mayweather’s offer. The retired, undefeated five-division champion won’t talk publicly about the gesture or his interactions with the Floyd family, according to Ellerbe.
Floyd, 46, died May 25 in Minneapolis after he was arrested there, for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill to purchase cigarettes in a store. Floyd died at a nearby hospital after a Minneapolis police offer, Derek Chauvin, kneeled on the back of Floyd’s neck for nearly nine straight minutes.
The criminal complaint lodged against Chauvin indicated Floyd was “non-responsive” for the final two minutes and 53 seconds when Chauvin kneeled on his neck. Floyd, who repeatedly pleaded that he couldn’t breathe, was handcuffed and face down on the street when Chauvin drove his knee into Floyd’s neck.
Chauvin and three other officers were fired the day after Floyd died. On Friday, he was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Protests of police brutality throughout the country after Floyd’s death have caused tense standoffs between protesters and police. The protests also have led to rioting and looting in many major American cities over the past several days.
–boxingscene.com
