LAS VEGAS — Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. is facing a pair of felony charges after allegedly passing a bad check to purchase a $200,000 watch from a luxury resale store in Las Vegas, prosecutors said.
Mayweather, 49, who won 15 world titles over five weight classes while compiling a 50-0 record over a two-decade career, faces charges of “theft, value $100,000 or greater” and “draw or pass check with intent to defraud, value $1,200 or greater,” ESPN reported.
Clark County prosecutors filed an initial criminal complaint against Mayweather on April 27, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Mayweather was charged in connection with a Dec. 31, 2024, purchase from Gold and Beyond in Las Vegas, according to the newspaper.
The purchase was for an Audemars Piguet watch, ESPN reported.
Prosecutors said that Mayweather wrote a $200,000 check drawn from a Wells Fargo Bank despite knowing he did not have enough money to cover it, according to The Associated Press.
“The check was deposited and returned unpaid as the defendant well knew,” authorities wrote in the criminal complaint.
Under Nevada law, Mayweather could face one to four years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine plus restitution costs if convicted on the fraud charge, ESPN reported. Felony theft carries prison terms of one to 20 years and up to $15,000 in fines, according to the sports news website.
Mayweather is scheduled for a hearing in September, CNN reported.
Marc Cook, an attorney for Cook & Kelesis, which represents Gold and Beyond, told ESPN that a complaint was filed with the district attorney’s office in February.
“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 told the sports cable news outlet. “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.”
Mayweather was not present for a Clark County court hearing on Monday but was represented by his attorney, ESPN reported.
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Mayweather, whose unbeaten record included 27 knockouts, officially retired from professional boxing in August 2017 after his victory against MMA fighter Conor McGregor, according to The Sporting News.
In June 2021, Mayweather fought an exhibition match against Logan Paul. The eight-round match ended with no decision.
Mayweather has reportedly collected more than $1.1 billion in earnings during his career and bought a mansion in Las Vegas for $10 million in 2018, the Journal-Review reported.
He announced earlier this year that he would come out of retirement to participate in the “Battle of the Legends” boxing card on June 27 in Athens, Greece, the AP reported.