When Floyd Mayweather Jr insisted that he wanted to allow the public to attend a workout in East London yesterday afternoon, he possibly expected a few dozen fans to turn up. Instead thousands came.

Fans are believed to have arrived at the Peacock gym in Canning Town as early as 6am - nine hours before the scheduled start time. By 11am, a large crowd was waiting, by 3pm, the doors had long been locked. The forecourt was jammed with hundreds of fans, the street outside was blocked, with traffic backed up, and some even stood on the flyover overlooking the gym to grab a glimpse of the former five-weight world champion. Eventually police arrived to ensure order.

Mayweather was on a two-day trip to London to promote his bout against Juan Manuel Márquez, the WBA and WBO lightweight champion, in Las Vegas on July 18. It is the 32-year-old Mayweather's first bout since retiring from the sport after beating Ricky Hatton in December 2007.“It is like Beatlemania,” Richard Schaefer, the chief executive of Golden Boy, the promoter, said. “Floyd's car could not get through the crowds. People were surrounding the car, taking pictures. This is why we wanted to come. The British fans are the best.”

Mayweather seemed shocked and slightly overwhelmed. “There are no fans like the London fans and the British fans,” he said. “I'm appreciative and I'll try to put on a show.”

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In sauna-like temperatures inside the gym, the workout was further delayed when crash barriers were overrun. But Mayweather finally put on his show, dazzling on the pads with his uncle, Roger, his trainer. For those that got to see it, and Mayweather, who flies home today, it was something they would not forget.

- Tyson Fury, the 6ft 9in 20-year-old heavyweight hope from Manchester, faces the first real test of his fledgeling professional career against Scott Belshaw, a 6ft 7in Ulsterman who has lost once in 11 bouts, in Watford tonight. Darren Barker, from Barnet, tops the bill, making the third defence of his Commonwealth middleweight title against Darren McDermott.