There is no doubting the boxing ability of Floyd Mayweather. When it comes to defensive abilities, one could argue he’s the greatest fighter of all time. Where there’s more doubt, however, is in Mayweather’s personal life. Rumors of potential domestic abuse have swirled around the boxing great for years. 

One of Mayweather’s former girlfriends passed away recently. His comments about her after her death were in stark contrast to the ones he made while she was alive. Here’s how they compare. 

Who was Floyd Mayweather’s girlfriend, Josie Harris? 

Mayweather’s late girlfriend was named Josie Harris. Harris and Mayweather had three children together. According to USA Today, Harris passed away in March of this year. The official cause of death was listed as “mixed drug toxicity.” She was found dead in her car, parked in her driveway.

Harris told USA Today in 2014 that Mayweather abused her six different times. The worst experience, according to Harris, came in September 2010. Mayweather’s actions led to a domestic battery charge that put him in prison for two months in 2012. 

Mayweather’s past comments about his late ex-girlfriend

The relationship between the two was chaotic despite the fact that they had children together. In response to her comments about him, Mayweather called Harris a “drug abuser” in an interview with Katie Couric recorded in 2015, according to USA Today. This led to a $20 million defamation suit from Harris. 

The two were still entangled in a legal dispute at the time of Harris’s death — one that has yet to subside. No matter one’s view of this relationship, it’s clear there was a fair amount of discord between the couple when Harris was alive. While she spoke ill of Mayweather on more than one occasion, he responded in kind, sullying her reputation.

This goes beyond a mere lover’s quarrel; it included serious accusations on Harris’s part as well as legal action when Mayweather attempted to drag her name through the mud. And the boxer did jail time. There’s no doubting the fact that these two didn’t get along at the time of Harris’s untimely death. That’s what makes Mayweather’s latest comments about his departed girlfriend so peculiar. 

Mayweather’s recent comments about Harris

Hollywood Unlocked reported that Mayweather’s stance on Harris shifted considerably in the wake of her death. The boxer was much more measured and solemn in his comments about her. He said, “Everything I asked for in life any and everything I thought about in life, I got. And I’ll say this every day: just for her to come back, I’ll give it all, man.”

Mayweather also paid for the funeral, adding that he spared no expense for the event: 

“She was a great woman so I couldn’t put her in the ground. I didn’t want to throw dirt on her: a beautiful spirit a beautiful person, we couldn’t throw dirt on her. So, I got her a mausoleum … When we went up the hill and let the doves go, it was good.”

Grief affects everyone differently. It’s certainly possible that Mayweather’s comments are genuine even in light of his alleged abuse. But what makes his comments seem less legitimate is the fact that Mayweather’s lawyers are going after Harris’s estate for $9,060 after her representatives left some of Mayweather’s representatives’ questions unanswered. 

That sum of money is negligible to a multimillionaire like Mayweather. It seems as if he was really as forlorn as he claimed, he’d let the total slide. Mayweather’s recent comments put an odd bow on his troubled, ultimately tragic relationship with Harris.