Floyd Mayweather jnr went through something of an epiphany last year while serving an 87-day jail term for domestic abuse. The world's No1 kilo-for-kilo boxer wrote letters to friends, family and members of his promotional team telling them of his gratitude. He bought his grandmother a house.
It was the start of his rehabilitation, a process that will climax this weekend when he faces Robert Guerrero in a defence of the World Boxing Council welterweight title in Las Vegas.
Mayweather, still unbeaten after 43 fights and a six-time world champion in four weight classes, has lost none of his lustre as a fighter. The bout with Guerrero marks the start of a new six-fight, 30-month deal with broadcasters Showtime that is expected to lift Mayweather's gross earnings close to US$500 million ($586 million).
Yet it is debatable whether Mayweather, 36, will possess the same self-confident strut that was his calling card before his prison sentence. "The only thing you can do when you're locked up is just do push-ups and read and write," he reflected. "Write to your fans and write to your loved ones. That's all I really did.