Floyd Mayweather once bought himself out of a contract with Top Rank by paying $750,000 to the promotion. He went on to appear in some of the biggest fights the sport has ever seen, and those fights made him a boatload of money, $1.15 billion to be exact. Today, he is the richest boxer in the history of the sport. However, even Floyd Mayweather, the richest boxer whose nickname is literally ‘Money,’ hasn’t escaped allegations of bankruptcy.

A while ago, Mayweather started making waves across the internet for his real estate investments in New York, especially his claim that he had bought 62 residential apartment buildings in Manhattan for $402 million. The subject went out of bounds when a Business Insider exclusive reported that there was no evidence that Floyd Mayweather had actually made the purchase. The media outlet claimed New York City property records showed no ownership transfer for any of the buildings. BI also noted that the NYC Housing Partnership was not notified of any pending sale or ownership change. 

It was followed by ‘Fighters Corner News’ sharing a video titled ‘Stephen A. Smith Exposes Floyd Mayweather For Going Bankrupt After $402 Million Scam.’ This video, also shared by Mayweather’s long-time rival 50 Cent, immediately went viral everywhere, casting doubts about his financial standing among fans.

In response to this report from Business Insider, Mayweather filed a defamation lawsuit against the media outlet and one of its reporters, Daniel Geiger, earlier this month, seeking at least $100 million in damages. The lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of New York and claims Geiger “embarked on a campaign of harassment and defamation, characterized by aggressive and misleading journalism that not only distorts the truth but seems driven by a deep-seated bias against Mr. Mayweather’s success.”

Since then, Business Insider’s spokesperson told Front Office Sports, “We will vigorously defend against this meritless attempt to discredit our reporting and smear our reporter.” Regardless, Floyd Mayweather has once again vehemently denied the bankruptcy allegations against him! 

Floyd Mayweather says he has been unfairly judged by the media

According to a report from Realtor[dot]com, Mayweather appeared at The Real Deal’s New York City Forum on May 7, where he addressed the rumors about his bankruptcy. “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,” Mayweather said. 

He even spoke about his lawsuit, claiming he worked hard to be where he is today. “I’m not a liar,” he said. “I work hard to build my name and build my reputation.” He also claimed that he had never filed a lawsuit against a media house in his life. “But the media has bashed me and my family throughout my life, and I have always been judged by them.”

He added, “I’m not going to let anyone go out there and smear my name and talk bad about me and my family.”

That said, it’s clear Floyd Mayweather is not backing down from his claims about owning apartment buildings in New York. It would be interesting to see how the lawsuit turns out, as defamation suits are known to be tricky. What are your thoughts on the matter?