West Ham United already have arguably the toughest set of famous fans going but can now count on the support of boxing legend Floyd Mayweather.
The Hammers may not have had the hardest team for much of this season but they’ve certainly got the hardest celebrity fanbase around.
Slaven Bilic has endured a torrid second season at the helm culminating in star player Dimitri Payet going on strike in a bid to force through a move back to former club Marseille for personal reasons.
The Hammers eased their worries somewhat at the weekend, though, winning 3-0 over Crystal Palace and former boss Sam Allardyce.
Floyd Mayweather is a Hammer
They could do a lot worse than take some inspiration from the club’s band of famous supporters who are hard men for a living, which now includes a WWE superstar and five boxers after legendary American fighter Floyd Mayweather pledged his allegiance to the club.
“Soccer is an unbelievable sport and I look forward to going to more soccer games,” Mayweather said in a video posted on Facebook.
Facebook video showed pound for pound great pledging to come and watch Bilic’s side
Then when prompted by his friend that he was going to come and watch West Ham, Mayweather added: “Absolutely, I’ll see you guys soon” before signing off by doing the famous crossed Hammers celebration.
So there you have it, the world’s greatest pound for pound fighter is now a Hammer.
And he joins an illustrious list.
Lennox Lewis
The three-time heavyweight champion was born in the East End and always been a massive West Ham fan. Lewis was one of the best heavyweights of all time and it in prestigious company with the likes of Muhammad Ali, Vitali Klitschko and Michael Moorer as heavyweights who have won the title three times.
Pound for pound king Golovkin
Gennady Golovkin
Legendary pound-for-pound world champ Golovkin delcared himself a Hammers fans after a visit to Upton Park in recent seasons. The fighter easily beat Sheffield United fan Kell Brook to extend his perfect record to 36-0 earlier this year. And he declared about the Hammers and their fans: “They are beautiful people and it feels like a big family. I have a lot of respect for them.”
Frank Bruno
A second former heavyweight boxing world champion who supports the Hammers is British national treasure Frank Bruno. Bruno ended his career with a record of 40 wins from 45 fights including 38 by knockout and went toe-to-toe with the likes of fellow Hammer Lewis, Oliver McCall and the great Mike Tyson. He grew up and trained in the East End and is a lifelong fan.
Kevin Mitchell
Now retired, well respected fighter Mitchell loves West Ham so much his nickname in the ring is the Hammer and he has the club’s crest on his shorts. The Romford-born lightweight won 39 of his 43 fights and is a friend of Hammers captain Mark Noble. He also fought and lost a world title fight against Australian Michael Katsidis at the club’s old Boleyn Ground back in 2010.
WWE legend Triple H
Triple H
Last year 14-time world champion Triple H – real name Paul Levesque – told the Daily Mail he was a Hammers fan, praising the club’s supporters for their passion. And the biggest name in wrestling has proved he really is into the Hammers as he discussed the importance of their recent 1-0 win over Burnley while in London to promote a WWE event coming to the O2 next May.
Former ICF hardman Cass Pennant
Cass Pennant
Cass Pennant, who stands at an imposing 6ft 5in is now a successful writer and filmmaker who is most well known for being a member, and leader, of West Ham’s infamous Inter City Firm (ICF) associated with the club from the 1970s. Pennant rose to prominence as one of the only black generals of a hooligan firm and was eventually sentenced to four years in prison in 1980 and was the first person to receive a long term sentence for football hooliganism. Nowadays Pennant focuses on his writing, filmmaking and following the Hammers and even had a film made about his life.
Ray Winstone
Well-known Hammers fan Winstone may be a Hollywood star nowadays but his roots are firmly in East London where he lived until he was seven. The actor, who has starred in Sexy Beast, Scum, and Beowulf, regularly follows the Hammers wherever he is in the world.
Danny Dyer
Danny Dyer
The Marmite Football Factory star became typecast in “hard-man” roles, an image which saw him present The Real Football Factories, its spin-off, The Real Football Factories International and Danny Dyer’s Deadliest Men. Most recently he appears in EastEnders, playing Mick Carter, a much-loved no-nonsense pub owner who guess what… supports West Ham.
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