Floyd Mayweather’s life often resembles a Hitchcockian thriller, where the protagonist is barely a step or two ahead of the troubles that continue to chase him. With just a week remaining before his exhibition match against Mike Zambidis in Athens, the unbeaten former world champion faces a fresh round of legal cases that appear more serious than the ones he is already facing.

What stands out is how Mayweather resorted to something that he rarely does. With his legal team preparing for a legal battle to offset a potential 20-year sentence along with a $200k fine, Floyd Mayweather Jr. took to social media and shared thoughts that indirectly point to the position he finds himself in amid the lawsuits and claims surfacing just as he prepares for a ring return.

“Lies and negative news always travel faster than the truth,” read Mayweather’s Instagram post. “That’s just the way things work. Unhappy people love bad news. I love stories they think are gonna tear the strongest creature on earth down a BLACK man.”

“At the end of the day, my name staying in the media is still my name staying in the media. Attention is attention. People keep talking, people keep watching and that attention keeps generating opportunities. I’m focused on what I’ve always been focused on family, generational wealth and staying out of other people’s business that’s not my own. So please, keep posting. More Blogs, More Lies… Free Promotion and I gladly welcome Every Line!”

Mayweather’s frustration stems from the recent trend in which not a day goes by without his name grabbing headlines for reasons that are largely unfavorable. Most of them center around the legal cases he is currently dealing with.

That likely explains why the accompanying comments took a jab at the media in particular.

“Good press, bad press, facts or fiction….pick your poison. Every headline keeps my name in circulation and everything in motion. I appreciate it all. Keep the press coming!” it read.

One reason Mayweather is speaking out in this manner could be that these developments have arrived just as he is preparing to open a new chapter in his boxing career.

After the 2017 fight against Conor McGregor, Mayweather hung up the gloves and stuck with an exhibition circuit that saw him travel across the globe while facing opponents who largely came from the world of media. His last exhibition bout, against John Gotti III, took place two years ago.

Now making a comeback, he’s set to face Zambidis, a former kickboxing champion, on June 27. More significantly, marking a professional return, he is poised to fight former rival Manny Pacquiao in a high-stakes rematch set in September.

A fresh legal headache lands on Floyd Mayweather’s doorstep

With those bouts approaching, coming under a barrage of lawsuits that paints a bleak picture of his financial status must have flustered Mayweather and his team, especially given how aggressively the media has pursued those reports.

Those concerns have only grown following the emergence of the latest legal dispute.

In the latest instance, criminal allegations involve Mayweather and a luxury watch in Las Vegas. Reportedly, the former world champion obtained a high-end time piece worth $200,000 and paid for it that was allegedly not successfully processed. Based on that, prosecutors brought two felony counts.

The case carries serious potential consequences. If found guilty, Mayweather could receive between one and 20 years behind bars on the theft-related allegation, while the second charge is punishable by one to four years in prison, as well as fines and possible restitution.

His legal team, meanwhile, has disputed the handling of the matter, claiming the disagreement should be treated as a private commercial dispute rather than a criminal case, and expressed further that the boxing icon would eventually clear his name.

Yet, this is just one of the several legal matters Mayweather is currently navigating. The most recent case against him involves the $7.3 million tax lien filed by the IRS. Then there’s another totaling $105k filed by a private jet service for unpaid services.

Mayweather, who filed a $340 million lawsuit against former network partners Showtime and its then-president, recently faced a setback after the defendant filed a counterclaim. Then there’s another worth $175 million that he filed against his former business partners.

That move came after he abandoned a $100 million lawsuit against Business Insider.

For boxing fans, the major concern Mayweather’s legal challenges pose is how they are going to impact his comeback.

One example is the uncertain exhibition against Mike Tyson. The bout had been in discussion since last September. But as lawsuits and financial challenges facing Mayweather mounted, the fight that was supposed to take place at the end of April in Congo now reportedly has to be rescheduled. One reason could be the passport revocation notice issued by the IRS.

For now, despite those doubts, Mayweather is set for the Zambidis match. Many will be watching with bated breath as the situation surrounding Mayweather unfolds ahead of the Pacquiao rematch.