Okay, let me walk you through how I ended up looking into this whole “can Floyd Mayweather read” thing. It’s one of those topics that pops up online now and then, you know?

How It Started
So, I was just scrolling online the other day, maybe watching some boxing highlights or something. Then I stumbled across some comments, people arguing back and forth about Mayweather. Somewhere in that mess, someone brought up the reading thing. I’d heard whispers about it before, but never really paid it much mind. This time, though, it got me curious. I thought, “Okay, what’s the real story here? Let me actually check this out.”
My First Search
First thing I did, pretty standard stuff, just went to a search engine and typed it in. Something simple like “Floyd Mayweather reading ability” or “Can Floyd Mayweather read?”. You get a whole bunch of results right away. Lots of forum discussions, gossip articles, YouTube videos making claims.
A lot seemed to circle back to a few specific things:
- That whole beef with 50 Cent years ago. 50 Cent challenged him to read a page from Harry Potter, right? That definitely came up a lot.
- There was also mention of some radio interview where he supposedly struggled to read some promo drops.
Trying to Find Proof
So, seeing these specific incidents mentioned, I tried to dig a bit deeper. I searched specifically for the 50 Cent challenge video and the radio interview audio or video. Found clips related to 50 Cent talking about it, making the challenge. Found discussions about the radio incident, people describing it.
But here’s the thing: finding actual, clear-cut footage of Mayweather himself struggling badly to read something substantial, or even attempting the challenges? That was tougher. You see interviews, press conferences, him talking business, promoting fights. He’s articulate in his own way, obviously very sharp when it comes to boxing and money.

I looked for interviews where maybe he addressed it directly. Did he ever just say, “Yeah, reading was tough for me in school,” or “No, that’s nonsense”? Didn’t find much solid on that front either. It seems like something he mostly ignores or sidesteps when it comes up. People around him usually deny it pretty strongly.
Putting it Together
After spending a bit of time looking through articles, watching clips, reading forum threads, here’s where I landed:
There’s a lot of talk, a lot of smoke, especially stemming from that 50 Cent feud and maybe that radio show moment. Those incidents definitely fueled the rumor mill for years.
However, finding undeniable, concrete proof – like a video of him being asked to read something simple and failing – wasn’t straightforward from my search. Most of what’s out there is people talking about his reading ability, rather than direct evidence of him reading or not reading.
You also gotta consider, the guy’s a master promoter, built a massive empire. Does that require reading complex contracts yourself? Maybe not, if you have a good team. Does it mean he can’t read? Also not necessarily. It’s complex.
So, What’s the Conclusion?
Honestly, after my digging, I couldn’t tell you with 100% certainty. The rumor persists, and the specific incidents people point to are real events (like the 50 Cent challenge definitely happened). But whether the underlying claim about his reading ability is true? Based on what I could find easily, it’s still murky. There wasn’t a clear “aha!” moment for me. It seems like one of those things that will probably keep being debated unless he ever directly addresses it in a clear way, which doesn’t seem likely.
That was my process, anyway. Just started with curiosity, did some searching, looked for the specific things people always mention, and ended up seeing why the rumor is still around, but without finding that definitive piece of evidence myself.