AUGIE SANCHEZ is part of one of the most exclusive clubs in boxing history – as one of only six men to beat Floyd Mayweather.
Mayweather retired as a professional in 2017 after making history by going 50-0 – a record still yet to be matched.
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But as an amateur, he had 84 wins and just six defeats.
The most notable one came in the 1996 Olympics when Bulgaria’s Serafim Todorov was awarded a controversial decision in the semi-finals.
Mayweather blamed the defeat on corruption and turned pro the same year – while Todorov ended up working in a sausage factory.
But the last American to beat Mayweather was Sanchez – who won a decision in the 1996 Olympic trials.
Sanchez told BoxingNews24/7: “I remember that [fight] like it was yesterday. Yeah, it was a very entertaining fight.
“Me and Floyd go back, to 1994, when we both made the team and were both Golden Gloves champions; at the time, he was boxing at 106 pounds.
“And later on that year, we were in Colorado Springs at the Olympic training centre, getting ready for the Olympic festival.
“So we were roommates and we became close and had a good friendship.
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“And then he decided to move up, skip the 119-pound division and go to the 125 division.
“And that’s when I ended up meeting him in the Nationals, the first year.
“A lot of people don’t know about the first time we fought, when we fought in the Nationals, in the semi-finals.
“And we fought again at the Olympic trials in the finals, and that’s when I ended up beating him.
“It was a great fight, and I managed to land some great power shots on him. I beat him by countering and timing his punches.”
Mayweather would later twice beat Sanchez to earn himself a spot at the 1996 Games – where he settled for bronze.
But as a pro, he won world titles in FIVE divisions and boasted of earning over £1BILLION in the ring.
Sanchez meanwhile turned pro in 1996 – the same year as Mayweather – and fought for the world title four years later.
But he was brutally knocked out in four by British legend Prince Naseem Hamed – the WBO featherweight champion at the time.
Sanchez had only three fights afterwards, retiring in 2001 after losing to John Michael Johnson at just 24.
He later became a trainer and joined Team USA as an Olympic coach in 2016.
Sanchez has also worked with the likes of heavyweight Michael Hunter and super-bantamweight champ Subaru Murata.
Ironically, Sanchez is also part of Curmel Moton’s camp – the 19-year-old top prospect mentored by Mayweather.
Mayweather himself still fights in the occasional exhibition bout against stars of the boxing, MMA and celebrity world.
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