Sportskeeda's International Sportsperson of the Year 2015 - counting down from No. 10 to No. 1

#9 Floyd Mayweather Jr. (pro boxing)

Floyd Mayweather made every punch count during his bout against Manny Pacquiao

Can an athlete who played exactly two matches in 2015 be considered among the best sportspersons of the year? When one of those matches was labeled the 'Fight of the Century' and generated over US$410 million in revenue, he can.

Floyd Mayweather famously ended his professional boxing career undefeated, posting a remarkable 49-0 record across a 19-year span. But perhaps even more remarkable than that was his bout against Manny Pacquiao this year, which in some ways defined all of sport in 2015.

Big money, big viewership, big men – Mayweather vs Pacquiao was sport in its most extravagant, most spectacular form. And by winning that once-in-a-lifetime event, the American stamped his mark on history forever.

The pressure of competing in such a high-octane environment alone would have made lesser mortals shrink in fear, but not Mayweather. He stuck to his much-derided defensive strategy even though he knew he'd be berated by the critics for it later, and gutted out a painstaking win amid vociferous jeers and widespread disapproval.

The Fight of the Century may have turned out to be one of the most disappointingly dull sports events of the year, but by doing everything in his power to win it, Mayweather ensured that his legacy will endure for decades to come.