Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather is facing two felony charges in Nevada over allegations that he tried to pay for a $200,000 watch using a bad check. The 49-year-old American, who holds an undefeated 50-0 career record, is alleged to have written the check to purchase an Audemars Piguet watch at Gold and Beyond, a Las Vegas resale boutique, in December 2024.
According to Nevada court records seen by ESPN, the charges against Mayweather are theft and intent to defraud. Clark County prosecutors filed an initial criminal complaint on April 27, and Mayweather was not present at a court hearing on Monday. If found guilty, Mayweather could face one to four years in prison on the fraud charge and up to 20 years on the theft charge. Mayweather's attorneys have not yet commented on the charges.
The criminal complaint claims Mayweather wrote the $200,000 check from a Wells Fargo Bank account that had insufficient money, property or credit. Marc Cook, the attorney for Gold and Beyond, told ESPN that the boutique delayed filing the complaint to give Mayweather time to pay.
"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."
Legal disputes and financial claims
The charges come as Mayweather prepares for an exhibition fight against kickboxer Mike Zambidis on June 27 in Athens, Greece. Mayweather also faces multiple other legal issues, including claims that he owes money to plaintiffs in separate civil cases across four states.
In addition, the IRS recently filed a new federal tax lien worth approximately $7.3 million tied to unpaid balances from fiscal years 2018 and 2023. In early 2026, Mayweather launched a lawsuit against premium television network Showtime, alleging that at least $340 million in pay-per-view and fight-related revenue was withheld, misappropriated or left unaccounted for under legacy contracts.
Career earnings and social media
Across his professional career, Mayweather generated an estimated $2.7 billion in global fight revenue and earned between $1.1 billion and $1.2 billion in non-inflation-adjusted purses. According to sports business estimates compiled by Sportico, his inflation-adjusted career earnings sit at approximately $1.57 billion, ranking him among the highest-paid athletes in modern sports history.
Mayweather regularly flaunts his wealth on social media, often posing with huge stacks of cash, expensive designer clothes or luxury watches.