Floyd Mayweather made pro boxing debut at 19 years old with stomach-churning body shot knockout

Floyd Mayweather’s sickening knockout of Roberto Apodaca

Entering the boxing ring as a professional for the first time on this day in 1996 — just months after his bronze medal success in the Olympics, Mayweather was pitted against Roberto Apodaca.

And with his father incarcerated at the time of his walk, Mayweather was led on the route to his boxing stardom by his former world title-holding uncle.

Showing off his supreme hand speed, which would lead him to countless world championships from the get-go, Mayweather folded Apodaca in the opening round with a vicious body shot.

And in the second, the Grand Rapids puncher sent Apodaca to the canvas once again, ripping to the liver with a brutalizing hook — scoring a stoppage victory just 37 seconds into the frame.

Off the back of his debut win, Mayweather would amass a stunning string of wins before his first world title victory against Gennaro Hernandez in his 18th pro fight.

Floyd Mayweather’s PPV debut

Making his first pay-per-view headliner nine years following his professional debut, Mayweather was placed atop a Thunder & Lightning card in Atlantic City.

Searching for another world title win, this time the WBC super lightweight crown, Mayweather took on the late fan-favorite veteran Arturo Gatti.

And recording a dominant victory over the Canadian icon, Mayweather would dispatch Gatti with a sixth-round corner stoppage to improve his unbeaten record to 34-0.