Floyd Mayweather and the billion-dollar question

Floyd Mayweather continues to fend off reports he’s struggling financially amid real estate deals and pending defamation lawsuits.

The boxing legend, who defeated every one of his opponents during an exceptional career, is hounded by slander in retirement.

If it’s not 50 Cent questioning if Mayweather has any money left, it’s reporters who are aiming for the latest scoop.

However, rival boxers like Amir Khan have aired their views about Mayweather’s remaining fortune, which the TMT boss can partly attribute to the fact that he never fought the two-weight champ.

As World Boxing News reported in 2013, Mayweather staged a poll to choose his next opponent. Khan won the vote, and Mayweather fought Marcos Maidana at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas instead.

Khan hasn’t gotten over that situation in discussions with WBN since then. However, Mayweather did what he did and retired, never giving the Briton his opportunity.

The Bolton native can be happy in the knowledge that some fans and fellow professionals fancied Khan to beat Mayweather, and it was Floyd who wanted to avoid him.

Floyd Mayweather’s financial rumors

However, when it’s a continuation of reports about Mayweather’s financial struggles, it won’t only be fans and boxers who want to know more.

Mayweather has an ongoing defamation lawsuit with Business Insider over a report that his $402 million New York property deal is not real.

Directed against a reporter, Mayweather seeks $100 million in damages after questions over the property records.

But it was a clickbait video attributed to Stephen A. Smith that got Mayweather’s back well and truly up.

The video, which doesn’t include Smith saying anything about Mayweather’s potential facing bankruptcy, prompted a response from the five-weight world champion.

Mayweather fires back

Firing back, the 48-year-old said, “Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. But if that’s what you call having two private jets, owning 100 buildings, and being able to do what you want, then I’m pretty sure everybody is going bankrupt.

“I’m not a liar. I work hard to build my name and build my reputation. I’m not going to let anyone go out there and smear my name and talk badly about me and my family.

“I kept thinking about life after boxing and generational wealth. When I started with real estate, I skipped over eight figures, and I went to nine figures.

“I wanted my payouts to be bigger so I could travel with my family and friends. I don’t want to call this a real estate dynasty; it’s just building generation wealth,” he added.

It won’t be a coincidence that Mayweather showed one of his bank balances to a journalist soon after his response. Teofimo Lopez, who met with Mayweather earlier that day, then defended the former pound-for-pound king in a FightHype video.

‘He’s not broke!’

Lopez stated, “Just to clarify, Floyd Mayweather is not broke. The champ is not broke. He is far from broke.

“That m*********** showed me his bank account, I was like, ‘I ain’t never seen numbers like that in my life!’”

There are no recorded instances of Mayweather showcasing his wealth via banking apps before. Therefore, this must be a direct response to the continued baiting.

If Mayweather isn’t fighting, though, some of his detractors don’t have the outlet they need to vent against the Grand Rapids,  Michigan-born property owner.

They have to find a new way to air negativity against the superstar boxer, who surely has enough money to be comfortable for the rest of his life.

Does he have all the properties he claims and well over ten figures in reserve, though? That’s the billion-dollar question.

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Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay and learn more about the author. Phil Jay is an experienced boxing writer and Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News since 2010.