Floyd Mayweather

Boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. entered jail in Clark County, Nev., Friday, beginning an 87-day sentence for reduced domestic battery charges involving the mother of his three children. Five-division champion Mayweather (43-0) wore a gray sweatsuit and sneakers in court Friday, saying nothing as a judge informed him he had fulfilled community service requirements. He was then handcuffed and escorted from the courtroom. "He'll be all right," rapper  50 Cent, a friend of Mayweather's, told reporters outside the courthouse.

Kobe Bryant is Los Angeles' highest-paid athlete, followed by a couple of Dodgers who fans might say haven't earned their money, in a list compiled annually by Sports Illustrated. Bryant was fourth nationally in rankings that combine estimates for salary, winnings and endorsements this year. Boxing champion Floyd Mayweather was the runaway leader at $90 million, followed by NBA most valuable player LeBron James at $56 million and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees at $47.8 million.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. earned $85 million over the past 12 months, more than any other athlete in the world, according to Forbes magazine . Not bad for a guy who put in less than an hour's worth of work. Just kidding. While it may have taken Mayweather that scant amount of time in the boxing ring to defeat  Victor Ortiz and Miguel Cotto, he obviously put in plenty of time training for the bouts -- not to mention all the work he does as his own promoter through Mayweather Promotions.

LAS VEGAS - Floyd Mayweather Jr. hasn't fought twice within a five-month period since 2006. But after overwhelming Robert Guerrero by unanimous decision Saturday night, he's scheduled to return to the MGM Grand Garden Arena ring on Sept. 14. "We're going to be back in September," Mayweather said following his victory. The opponent of most interest is Mexico's Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, the unbeaten 22-year-old world super-welterweight champion who last month drew nearly 40,000 to San Antonio's Alamodome when he defeated previously unbeaten Austin Trout.

Kobe Bryant is Los Angeles' highest-paid athlete, followed by a couple of Dodgers who fans might say haven't earned their money, in a list compiled annually by Sports Illustrated. Bryant was fourth nationally in rankings that combine estimates for salary, winnings and endorsements this year. Boxing champion Floyd Mayweather was the runaway leader at $90 million, followed by NBA most valuable player LeBron James at $56 million and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees at $47.8 million.

LAS VEGAS -- The tranquility between Floyd Mayweather Jr.and Miguel Cotto ended Friday, when the pair exchanged heated words on the weigh-in stage followed by a backstage dispute that will force Mayweather to fight in a backup pair of gloves. Mayweather (42-0, 26 knockouts) weighed in at 151 pounds for Saturday night's World Boxing Assn. super-welterweight fight  against champion Cotto (37-2, 30 KOs), who weighed the limit 154. As the pair were posed for a face-off inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Mayweather smacked chewing gum in the face of the stoic Puerto Rican, then told his foe, "When you face Floyd Mayweather, you face the best.

Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. settled some of their differences Tuesday when the world's top two pound-for-pound boxers struck a deal for Pacquiao to drop the defamation lawsuit he filed against Mayweather. Pacquiao slapped Mayweather with the lawsuit in December 2009 when Mayweather accused the Filpino star of using performance-enhancing drugs. A statement obtained by The Times and released by Mayweather Jr., his father and uncle/trainer Roger Mayweather, said the men “wish to make it clear that they never intended to claim that Manny Pacquiao has used or is using any performance-enhancing drugs.

LAS VEGAS -- The theory all along among those trying to read  Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s mind was that he'd spotted some flaws in Miguel Cotto before deciding to fight him -- at 154 pounds, no less. Mayweather (42-0, 26 knockouts) is  an astute student of his craft whose choices of recent foes Shane Mosley and Victor Ortiz has revealed what the 35-year-old veteran with five weight-class world titles was thinking. Mosley was getting too old. Ortiz was too undisciplined. As for World Boxing Assn.

Amir Khan doesn't want to cast his sight too far ahead with a Saturday junior-welterweight title unification bout against unbeaten Danny Garcia scheduled, but the British fighter has been lured in Las Vegas this week by the idea of fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr. next. While Mayweather is still in a Las Vegas jail serving a term for a domestic violence crime, his advisor, Leonard Ellerbe, and manager Al Haymon have met this week both with Khan and the boxer's promoter, Richard Schaefer, to discuss the possibility of a welterweight match in the near future.

The attorney for world champion boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. won an emergency hearing Tuesday afternoon for a request that the fighter now serving jail time for domestic battery be transferred to house arrest, a spokeswoman for the Clark County, Nev., court system confirmed. [ Update at 1:56 p.m. : Following the emergency brief hearing, a judge announced Tuesday that he would make a decision on the matter on Thursday at 9:30 a.m.] Mayweather has been in the Clark County jail for two weeks, where and his attorney says conditions are "inhumane" and should prompt a change to house arrest, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Monday.

LAS VEGAS - Robert Guerrero is from Gilroy, California's garlic capital of the world. His greatest fight stages have been in San Jose and Ontario. And his most compelling pre-fight publicity stop was on evangelist Pat Robertson's "700 Club. " Guerrero, who is Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s opponent Saturday, is a 7-1 underdog to pull an upset for the World Boxing Council welterweight title at the MGM Grand. This looks one-sided, right? This scrapper of a family man taking on the undefeated, polished king of bling.

LAS VEGAS - A boxer needs an edge, contentment is the enemy. Consider the case of Floyd Mayweather Jr. The unbeaten world welterweight champion used to argue with any doubters that he was superior to Manny Pacquiao in the debate over who was the best pound-for-pound fighter. That's no longer an issue after Pacquiao was knocked out by a man Mayweather previously dominated, Juan Manuel Marquez. Mayweather has also longed to boast about his riches. Then, earlier this year, he signed a 30-month, multi-fight deal with Showtime/CBS that is valued at potentially $200 million, considered the most lucrative deal for any athlete in any sport.

LAS VEGAS - The Mayweathers are back, and for this fight they have company. More than eight months have passed since Floyd Mayweather Jr. walked out of a Las Vegas jail after serving nearly 90 days for his role in a domestic violence case involving the mother of his three children. Mayweather (43-0, 26 knockouts) returns to the ring Saturday night to defend his World Boxing Council title against Robert Guerrero. Both boxers are trained by their fathers - Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Ruben Guerrero.

After watching an exodus of fighters that included Floyd Mayweather Jr., Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Amir Khan to rival network Showtime, HBO announced this week it will stop broadcasting fights involving boxers promoted by Los Angeles' Golden Boy Promotions. “In order to achieve our goal of the best fighters in the most compelling matchups, we've decided to focus our efforts and resources on those strategic relationships where we better share common goals and business philosophies,” HBO Sports President Ken Hershman said in a statement.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. lives a lifestyle that most of us regular folk can't even wrap our heads around. The boxing great provided the latest bit of evidence during an appearance on "Jim Rome on Showtime" on Wednesday night. After already discussing his incomprehensible home -- which apparently features suede walls and a two-story movie theater -- the conversation turned to Mayweather's infamous high-stakes bets. When asked the most he's ever won while gambling, Mayweather casually answered "probably $1.1, 1.2 million.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. won't sign a contract agreeing to fight Mexico star Saul “Canelo” Alvarez next, so Alvarez is close to taking his star power off Mayweather's May 4 card at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Golden Boy Promotions Chief Executive Richard Schaefer told The Times on Wednesday that he's working to move an Alvarez super-welterweight title unification bout against World Boxing Assn. champion Austin Trout to April 20 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. “It's now likely, but it's not final.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez backed off participating as a May 4 undercard fighter to Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Wednesday. Alvarez's promoter announced that the Mexican star will fight Austin Trout in a super-welterweight title unification bout April 20, probably in San Antonio. Alvarez, 22, wanted Mayweather Jr. to sign a contract stipulating the next fight after his welterweight title defense at MGM Grand in Las Vegas versus Robert Guerrero would be against Alvarez. Mayweather declined and Alvarez jumped ship, depriving Mayweather of a substantial box-office and pay-per-view draw.

Robert Guerrero leaned on his faith through a drawn-out wait before unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. tapped him as his next opponent, May 4 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. “I just always believed that it was meant to be and that I'd be rewarded for what I have done,” Guerrero told The Times on Friday in a telephone conversation. Mayweather (43-0, 26 knockouts) announced this week that he would make the 29-year-old southpaw Guerrero (31-1-1, 18 KOs) his first foe in beginning a new television deal with pay-per-view provider Showtime and its parent network.