Floyd Mayweather will pay for George Floyd’s funeral services

[ESPN]

Floyd Mayweather will pay for the funeral services for George Floyd, according to a Mayweather representative.

Floyd, who was black, died last week in Minneapolis after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes. Chauvin, who was fired on Tuesday, was charged Friday with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Floyd’s death sparked protests across the United States over the weekend.

“He’ll probably get mad at me for saying that, but yes, [Mayweather] is definitely paying for the funeral,” Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, told ESPN on Monday.

Ellerbe added that the former five-division world champion has been in touch with the family of Floyd, and the family has accepted the offer.

“Floyd has done these kind of things over the last 20 years,” said Ellerbe, who added that Mayweather didn’t want to talk about his gesture.

Mayweather previously stepped in to cover the funeral expenses of former boxer Genaro Hernandez, who died of cancer at age 45 in 2011. Mayweather won his first world title by defeating Hernandez in 1998.

BY STEVE KIM