Floyd Mayweather to cover funeral costs of George Floyd, reveals Leonard Ellerbe

Floyd died last week after a Minneapolis policeman knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes

FILE - In this Dec. 29, 2018, file photo, Floyd Mayweather Jr. speaks during a news conference in Tokyo. Former boxing champion Mayweather has offered to pay for George Floyd’s funeral and memorial services, and the family has accepted the offer. Mayweather personally has been in touch with the family, according to Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions. He will handle costs for the funeral on June 9 in Floyd’s hometown of Houston, as well as other expenses. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)
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Mayweather Promotions chief executive Leonard Ellerbe has revealed that boxing great Floyd Mayweather Jr will pay for the funeral services for George Floyd.

George Floyd died last week after a Minneapolis policeman knelt on the 46-year-old man's neck for almost nine minutes. Floyd, who was handcuffed, became unresponsive after almost three minutes.

The death of the unarmed black man while in police custody has ignited protests across America.

Ellerbe confirmed to ESPN that Floyd's family had accepted Mayweather's offer to pay for funeral services.

"He'll probably get mad at me for saying that, but yes, [Mayweather] is definitely paying for the funeral," Ellerbe said.

Mayweather "has done these kind of things over the last 20 years," added Ellerbe, who said that the former five-division world champion, who retired in 2017 with a 50-0 record, didn't want to talk about his gesture himself.

The lawyer for Floyd's family said on Monday that a funeral will be held on June 9 in Houston.

Before that, the family will hold a memorial service in Minneapolis on Thursday and a memorial service on Saturday in North Carolina, where Floyd was born.

An official autopsy released Monday found that Floyd died in a homicide involving "neck compression."

Police officer Derek Chauvin has been charged with third degree murder and one count of negligent manslaughter in Floyd's death.