A cocky Floyd Mayweather was once given a bloody lesson in tough sparring session to ensure he always remained in shape for career that took in Conor McGregor and Canelo before exhibitions with Aaron Chalmers next

Floyd Mayweather was the best boxer of his generation and arguably one of the greatest of all time.

However, it took one tough lesson en route to achieving the titles and a 50-0 record to keep him on track to the top.

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Back when Mayweather was just a 20-year-old kid, he was shown the importance of staying in top physical shape.

A cocky Mayweather, who was 13-0 at the time and only two years removed from winning a bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, visited Paul Spadafora, an American who had just become the IBF lightweight champion.

Visiting Spadafora just days out from the Pittsburgh man’s first defence of his title, Mayweather was given six rounds with the champion as a warm up.

But he got worked over so badly by the sharp world champion that he tried quitting in the fourth round, but Spadafora’s trainer, Jesse Reid, said no.

"It's the reason he's never out of shape," Reid recalled some years later.

"And [why] he never lets people tape his sparring."

Of course, there’s no shame in coming up short against a world champion in his gym. Mayweather had only been a professional for two years and wasn’t in shape. Spadafora, meanwhile, was 49-1-1 with his only loss coming in his penultimate fight and the draw in a world title unification fight.

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Describing what unfolded in the sparring session to FightHype, Reid continued: "[Mayweather's] nose is bleeding and that eye looks like it's swelling up, and he keeps crackin 'em.

“Finally in the fourth round Mayweather comes to me and asks me if he can get out of the ring because he says he's tired.

“I says, ‘you ain't getting out of the ring, you're getting your ass kicked today to teach you for all the big mouth of you and your father’.”

Reid says he taught Mayweather to always be ready and, as he approaches 46 years old, his cut physique is certainly evidence of that.

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Mayweather never lost inside a boxing ring - at least officially - but the loss he took in that Pittsburgh gym proved invaluable.

His first world title win came a year later when he beat Genaro Hernandez and he never looked back.

Nowadays he's in the gym training for money-spinning exhibitions, with Deji and Logan Paul among those who have stepped in the ring with the legend.

Next up is reality TV star Aaron Chalmers when 'Money' rolls into London.