The boxer who defeated Floyd Mayweather was forgotten because, unlike his opponent, he did not amass a fortune or accumulate generational wealth. Now, he lives off benefits and government aid.
Not everything turns out rosy for professional boxers who shine in their youth. That is exactly what happened to the man who managed to defeat Mayweather during the featherweight quarterfinals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
A success that was short-lived
Serafim Todorov faced Floyd Mayweather when he was 19 and defeated him 10-9 to win Olympic gold. However, this did not stop Mayweather, who later became the five-weight world champion.
At that time, Todorov was 28. Afterward, he rejected a promotional deal and failed at the 1997 Amateur Boxing World Championship. He eventually retired in 2003.
In 2015, Todorov put his gloves back on at the age of 46. Some time later, he revealed that he had fallen into severe financial hardship, which forced him to rely on government assistance.
Regarding this, the boxer stated: “I live only on a state handout. The money I receive from the government is not enough. My family has no job… It’s hard here because it’s a small town, and there is very little work. I had a bigger house in my hometown, Peshtera, 20 km from where I live now, but I had to sell it because I had no money to survive.”
This forced him to get a job at a sausage company, whose salary allows him to barely get by. Unlike him, Mayweather became the highest-paid boxer thanks to the profits from his professional boxing matches.
“I was an artist in the ring”
Regarding his boxing career, Todorov said: “My experience was much stronger… I defeated all the Russians, all the Cubans, some Americans, Germans, Olympic champions… I was mocking them in the ring. British, French, I beat them all… I was very smart… You have to be an artist in the ring. I was an artist. It was just another fight, to be honest. I had beaten much stronger fighters.”
However, he later admitted: “I wanted to hope that things could get better here. That was stupid. I came back and found myself in hell.”
When Mayweather learned about Todorov’s situation, he commented: “I don’t know why he didn’t become a boxing coach because when we fought, he was already much older than me.” However, he wished him the best so he could move on with his life and have a peaceful old age.
