Boxing champ Mayweather visits Israel, donates fleet of ambucycles

Former professional boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr. visits United Hatzalah’s headquarters in Jerusalem on March 12, 2024. Credit: United Hatzalah.

On the fourth day of his trip to Israel, former boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. visited Magen David Adom’s Marcus National Blood Services Center in the central city of Ramla, where he dedicated a fleet of ambucycles to the emergency response organization.

Magen David Adom said the visit by Mayweather, who is known for his philanthropic work, left an “indelible mark” on its staff.

“We are truly grateful for Floyd Mayweather’s commitment and support at this dark time in our history,” said Catherine Reed, CEO of American Friends of Magen David Adom. “The Floyd Fleet will save thousands of lives in record time and wouldn’t have been possible without him.”

Magen David Adom has been using ambulance motorcycles since the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, when the organization inherited motorcycles from the departing British Mandate authorities. The first official fleet of ambucycles was inaugurated some 20 years ago.

Earlier this year, Mayweather was honored at a Magen David Adom dinner in Miami, where he became acquainted with the organization.

The March 13 event in Ramla brought together MDA personnel who survived Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in southern Israel, in which some 1,200 people, including numerous volunteers of the organization, were brutally murdered and thousands more wounded.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the Western Wall on March 2, 2024. Credit: Ezra Amsallem/Aish HaTorah.

Mayweather’s visit “served as a beacon of hope and solidarity during challenging times, inspiring resilience and unity among those in attendance,” MDA said in a statement to the press.

Mayweather did not make formal remarks at the ceremony.

On March 12, Mayweather toured Jerusalem. During a visit to Aish HaTorah in the Old City, he received the Jewish outreach group’s Champion for Israel Award, “a special honor reserved for those who continue to advocate against hate and antisemitism and stand up for Israel,” during a rooftop ceremony overlooking the Western Wall.

“The rooftop is some of the best real estate in the world,” Mayweather said, per an Aish release. “Aish has welcomed me and my team in Jerusalem before, and it is very exciting to be back. This place is amazing. Everyone should come and visit here.”

He also visited the United Hatzalah headquarters.

“Mayweather was one of the first to support and mobilize his resources in solidarity with the State of Israel,” United Hatzalah stated. “After first sending his private plane to deliver medical equipment to the country to help those injured, Mayweather embarked yesterday on a visit to see and support Israel from up close.”

The boxer, who wore a large Star of David necklace, was “visibly moved” when he met Hatzalah volunteers alongside Eli Beer and Eli Pollak, Hatzalah’s president and founder and its CEO respectively, the organization stated.

“United Hatzalah’s activity is astonishing, and I hope that the entire world adopts the model of providing medical treatment within 90 seconds, United Hatzalah volunteers are world champions of lifesaving,” Mayweather said at the end of the visit, per a Hatzalah release.

Mayweather, 47, retired with an undefeated record and won 15 major world championships, from super featherweight to light middleweight.

From staff and JNS reports