ONGOINGDana White vs Eddie Hearn: every turn in the Fury vs Joshua row

Floyd Mayweather claims two men he trusted stole over half a billion dollars

Floyd Mayweather has alleged that a man he saw as a father figure took $350 million from him and a second associate took $200 million. He named neither, and the claims have not been proven in court.

By Darren Murray · Published · AI-assisted reporting
mayweather money claims graphic
Original graphic: Combat Sports UK

Floyd Mayweather has accused two people he considered friends of stealing a combined $550 million from him during the most lucrative years of his boxing career. Speaking on Patrick Bet-David's PBD Podcast, the unbeaten five-weight world champion said the alleged losses involved two entirely separate individuals, neither of whom he named. The allegations have not been proven in court.

The claims add to a run of legal disputes over Mayweather's money. He is suing Showtime and its former Sports president Stephen Espinoza over at least $340 million in allegedly missing earnings. He also brought a separate lawsuit against former business associate Jona Rechnitz alleging losses of at least $175 million; that action was voluntarily dismissed without prejudice, and Rechnitz disputed Mayweather's account. Nothing Mayweather said on the podcast confirms that he was referring to anyone named in those cases.

Mayweather, whose career earnings across his 50-0 professional record reportedly exceeded $1 billion, said the first man won his trust while helping him establish his independence in boxing. He said: “It was a guy who was sort of like a father figure, but he stole 350 million from me.” According to Mayweather, the man understood the pull he had as the sport's biggest attraction and saw him as a route to other fighters. Mayweather described the man's thinking as: “If I’m able to get a Floyd Mayweather, then I’m able to get two or three hundred other fighters because he’s the face of boxing. If he speak about me, other fighters will follow.” Mayweather insisted that buying his promotional freedom with a $750,000 payment had been his own idea, and said he believed at the time that the man was helping him as a friend. He said the scale of the alleged wrongdoing only emerged years later, and that he has not recovered the money.

The second allegation concerned someone closer to his business affairs. Mayweather said: “We’re talking about the 200 million now. It’s a guy who was sitting next to me acting like he was a friend, helping me clean up business, and he stole 200 million.” When Bet-David asked whether this was a different person, Mayweather confirmed it was.

Espinoza has previously said Mayweather was not broke, while acknowledging the former champion had experienced financial challenges. Mayweather maintains that he continues to enjoy a great life.

READ NEXTJake Paul team in talks with Darren Till as Nakisa Bidarian eyes Christmas Eve fightRead the next story →

Every UK fight result and what's next, every Friday. Get the free UK fight briefing

More Boxing from Combat Sports UK

Add Combat Sports UK as a preferred source on Google

The UK fight briefing

The stories, results and upcoming fights worth knowing. Every Friday.

Free. Unsubscribe any time.

Sources