If an athlete is in the spotlight for as long as Floyd Mayweather has, he is bound to receive some harsh criticism. Being subject of criticism is not as bad as being the subject of some of the memes that float around whenever something groundbreaking happens though. Mayweather has seen himself as a target, not only by some of the biggest boxers in the world, but a target of thousands of people on the internet trying to make a quick joke.

Whether it is his fighting style, attitude or the his inability to do certain things, Mayweather has been brutally victimized on social media, worse than he has victimized anyone in the boxing ring. Floyd has as many haters as any athlete on the planet, and with some many people waiting to watch him fail the most insignificant thing can become a meme at his expense.

If you thought LeBron James was the subject of harsh memes, just wait until you see what the internet has done to "Money" Mayweather over the years. Here is a list of some of the most vicious memes that have ever been made that focus on the boxing great.

16 15. Scumbag Floyd

Sometimes the best memes are the most classic ones. Here we see a version of the old washed up “Scumbag Steve” meme, in which whoever is featured in the picture originally does something good, but then followed by something only a scumbag would do. Floyd finally agreeing to fight Manny Pacquiao was huge news in 2015, because it was six years in the making but many people thought the fight did not live up to the hype. One of the things Mayweather is knocked for is being a defensive fighter, one who does not get touched much in the ring. This plays on that idea as we see that instead of boxing, Mayweather was focused on running a marathon. People saw this as a money grab, thus Floyd getting the Scumbag Steve treatment.

15 14. Chicken Memes

 

Mayweather may be undefeated, but that does not come without people attacking his fighting style. Here we see photos of Mayweather owning a chicken restaurant, due to his ability to dodge in fights, as well as duck opponents until they are old. The idea of calling Mayweather a chicken is absurd because he is indeed boxing against someone who can take his head off, but these memes are perfectly done and do expose Mayweather for being so defensive. These memes sparked other great things, such as a restaurant in Makati serving a “Floyd Mayweather Chicken Platter,” and someone on Facebook creating a “Mayweather Chicken Restaurant” page. The address is the MGM, where Pacquiao and Mayweather fought. The page even comes with a phone number to call at your own risk. Mayweather may not actually be a chicken, but he is certainly getting roasted like one.

14 13.  Super Bowl Bets

This meme is just disrespectful. Mayweather has been known to be an avid gambler, posting his winnings numerous times on Instagram, but you never hear any news about the champion losing any bets. It was reported that Floyd once bet $700,000 on the Colts covering the spread against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Does Floyd need to bet that much money on a meaningless AFC South game? This pokes fun at Floyd betting crazy amounts during the Super Bowl, and claiming if any is lost he can just fight Pacquiao again and everyone would buy it. This also brings to light that many people think that Floyd waited to have this fight when they were both older just to cash in on the big name fight. By 2015, Pacquiao was no where near the same fighter he was in the past, and Mayweather may have stalled the fight in order to catch him out of his prime and collect a hefty paycheck.

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12 12. Expectations vs. Reality

Have we mentioned that Twitter was disappointed in how the Pacquiao fight turned out? If not, let’s take a look at another meme highlighting how underwhelming it was. In comparison, after researching the Dragon Ball Z photo, you can see why these were the expectations for this fight.  This was the most hyped boxing match in years, and there wasn’t really a single memorable moment. The second photo captures what many fans thought the fight was, which was an hug-fest. Floyd has been ridiculed over the years as a fighter that starts to lock up with his opponent frequently when things start getting chaotic, in order to keep the fight at his pace. Here we see that everyone at home was expecting a war, when instead we got an episode of Barney and Friends.

11 11. Prom Night

Speaking of this fight being hug-fest, we have our next meme that places the two at a school prom. This is also a jab at Mayweather’s fighting style, due to many of his critics saying that he dances in the ring rather than fighting his opponents. The photo is taken at the best possible moment, when neither of the fighters look like they are boxing with anything on the line. They both look like they are actually dancing with each other, and being more intimate than anyone else. They perhaps could have one prom king and queen if they attended this dance. Also, this looks like it is the worst dance ever, and everyone there looks way too happy, or they all look photo shopped in. This meme tackles the biggest flaw in Mayweather, and it's that his fights aren’t that exciting when they happen, and often turn into a display of defensive techniques, which includes his hugging ability.

10 10. Flinching Floyd

Anytime someone is playing sports, especially a professional athlete, there is always one action shot that looks absolutely terrible. Whenever a photo like that goes viral, there is always a list of memes to follow. LebBon James and Ronda Rousey are recent examples of this trend, and Mayweather is no exception. His fighting style makes these photos much easier, as he is constantly trying to avoid getting hit, and here we see Floyd realizing that he is about to get hit with a look of fear in his eyes. The subtle facial expression given by the champion makes this that much better of a photo. Mayweather looks so concerned in the photo on the right that the caption makes for a perfect photo. Those who have faced that situation know exactly how to make this pose while trying to get out of harm’s way.

9 9. Dumb and Dumber

via latintimes.comWhen it comes to memes about Mayweather not being able to read, this one might be at the top of the ladder. Sharing the stage with Floyd is none other than Steve Harvey, who infamously read the wrong name during Miss Universe 2016. Both have seen a long list of memes been made about them, especially Harvey, who is now the go to reference when someone struggles or makes a mistake while reading something. The two share the cover of the 1994 classic comedy “Dumb and Dumber” starring themselves, instead of Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. Mayweather may be undefeated in the ring, but the internet will always remain undefeated when it comes to making fun of star athletes or celebrities.

8 8. Mirror Image

Another meme that takes a poorly timed photo to viciously make fun of Floyd Mayweather. This picture didn't even need a caption to make it’s impact. This leaves the ability to let captions and memes run wild. Mayweather looks disgusted in the photo as he is hunched over and leaning and mirrors that anguish that is displayed by Ariana Grande. No fighter should ever be compared to looking like a pop star while in the middle of a fight, but somehow Floyd mirrors Grande’s ducking perfectly. A lot of boxing fans would say that Floyd’s ducking action here looks natural, as it is claimed that he ducked many fighters over the years. The longer you stare at this photo, the worse it gets, as the two show a shocking amount of similarities between each other.

7 7. Float Like a Butterfly....

Muhammad Ali was known for a lot of things over his lifetime, but was known heavily for his premier style of trash talk. Ali could talk trash about anything, and here we see one of his more iconic quotes being put on display. On the bottom, we see how Mayweather would take that quote and put his own personal spin on it. The best part of this meme though has nothing to do with the quotes, as it is topics we have already covered above. The part that shows the utmost disrespect is the “self- proclaimed great Floyd” section. Mayweather may be extremely flawed in the a lot of ways, mainly the way people perceive him as a fighter, but he should be considered a great of the sport. The running and Barney jokes aside, the way the creator shows Floyd as being someone who does not deserve to be called a great is something worth noting.

6 6. Coaching Change

The “running man challenge” craze was such a good thing for the internet. So many people making a fool of themselves, and so many people using the trend to make some savage memes. This one in particular shows the two college basketball players from Maryland that have been credited with popularizing the trend will be coaching Mayweather. As you may have known by now, Mayweather has been called a runner in fights due to his defensive tactics. This meme is great not only because it destroys Mayweather, but because it also crosses paths with a huge internet trend. Could you imagine if the running man challenge was popular during Mayweather’s boxing career? This would have been circulating for weeks after any fight. Any training montage that was posted by Mayweather’s camp would have “My Boo”, the song that featured in the trend, playing in the background. There will be some glorious opportunities to post these memes if Mayweather does indeed fight Conor McGregor.

5 5. On Second Thought

Shawn Oakman’s massive frame and size was the first official meme of 2015, setting fire to Twitter after a bowl game against Michigan State. The 6’9 defensive end found himself as the enforcer on the internet, forcing people to do things they initially were hesitant to do. That is the case here as we see another meme in which Mayweather cannot read. Floyd’s inability to read has seemingly disappeared when Oakman yells at the champ.Of course, due to his reading level,The Cat in the Hat seems like the appropriate book for Mayweather. Oakman fell out of the limelight after he was unable to be drafted into the NFL, but his use as a meme will keep him relevant for a long time. Mayweather suddenly being able to read is a miracle, and we can thank the former Baylor defensive end for that. In response to the large amounts of reading memes, Mayweather posted this tweet, silencing many of his haters.

4 4. Ray Rice's Reaction

This is yet another attack at Mayweather’s inability to have exciting fights. His last knockout came during September of 2011, which was a subject of controversy due to the final blow being called a “sucker punch”. Since, Mayweather has just taken fights 12 rounds and hasnt really shown much power. This meme illustrates that, as we see Ray Rice looking confused when finding that out. This is obviously a reference to Rice’s incident in a hotel elevator that has since been detailed thoroughly. It goes the extra step when someone from a Twitter account named Janay Rice tweeted “My husband hits harder than Floyd Mayweather #BoxingIsDead #MacPac #MayPac”. It was later learned that Janay Rice has never had a Twitter account, meaning that the tweet was not from anyone related to Rice. Either way, this meme is the definition of savage.

3 3. Miranda Rights

Floyd Mayweather may be a great boxer, but when it comes to reading things out loud on Power 105.1’s radio show, things can be a challenge. His struggles on that show started a beef with the rapper 50 Cent, as he started cracking jokes at Mayweather inability to read. The internet soon followed and joined the rapper making fun of Mayweather. 50 Cent even challenged him to read a page of Harry Potter out loud. This sparked a hilarious trend of memes, including this one. When the officer states that he will be reading Mayweather's rights to him, Floyd’s only response is thank you, suggesting that he would not be able to himself. This meme is a reach, as there is no actually “reading” going on, but it is a very clever pun at the champion’s expense.

2 2. Floyd Mayweather's Cash-Out

Would it be right for one of the most popular fighters ever not to get the “Mike Tyson’s Punchout” treatment when it came to memes? The short answer is no. The long answer is that this is a brilliant use of the video game classic. This is another meme that references the fact that the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight was the ultimate let down, and how fans were proclaiming that boxing was dead afterwards. That remains to be a question, and one that has been asked for years, but in this meme it simply does not matter because both fighters got paid huge amounts. That is how a large portion of the fans felt afterwards and using the NES classic to illustrate it is masterful. Out of all the memes listed on here, this one may have taken the most time to create, as the original poster had to have spent a decent chunk of time in photoshop.

1 1. Happy Little Chicken

This may be the best use of Bob Ross’ iconic painting skills. Ross over many years filled our television screens with dark winter scenes filled with cabins and overgrown trees, but took a different approach to this painting. Instead of drawing a mountain with titanium white and phthalo blue, we see a portrait of Mayweather’s face. This is the ultimate Mayweather meme because it uses Ross’ light hearted attitude to decimate the boxing champion as he calls Floyd out as a chicken. His meme may be a little dark compared to what Ross would normally say on “The Joy of Painting,” but according to Ross in this clip, it is necessary to be dark sometimes. Mayweather has been a victim of memes ever since memes became popular, but this one sets the stage as the most savage of them all.