Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather is facing felony charges in Nevada on allegations that he used a fraudulent check to buy an expensive watch worth $200,000.
According to ESPN, the Hall of Famer was charged with theft and intent to deceive after a complaint regarding the purchase of an Audemars Piguet watch in Las Vegas.
According to court records, Mayweather wrote the cheque from a Wells Fargo account on December 31, 2024, despite knowing the account did not have enough funds or credit to meet the payment.
Mayweather was not present at Monday’s court session, but his attorney attended on his behalf as the allegations were formally handled.
The accusation claims that the former world champion intentionally issued a cheque that could not be honoured, forcing officials to file criminal charges.
Marc Cook, the watch seller’s attorney, stated that his client delayed pursuing legal action in the hopes that Mayweather would eventually settle the unpaid amount.
“The reason for the delay is that my guy trusted Mayweather and was trying to give him every opportunity to make good on that,” Cook said.
“And it got to the point where he wasn’t getting responses and wasn’t getting money for a watch that Mayweather had for well over a year.”
However, Mayweather’s legal team has denied that he intended to deceive anyone.
His counsel argued that the case should be handled as a civil dispute rather than a criminal one, claiming that the boxing icon did not seek to deceive the vendor.
The matter is expected to return to court on September 17.
Despite the legal battle, Mayweather is scheduled to meet kickboxing great Mike Zambidis in a full-contact exhibition bout on June 27 in Athens, Greece.
He is also set to face old foe Manny Pacquiao in a professional rematch late this year.
