As one of the best boxers of the 21st century, Terence Crawford can relate to what Floyd Mayweather Jr. seems to be going through.
Mayweather, 49, was the highest-earning boxer in history when he retired from the sport in 2017 after completing a perfect 50-0 professional career, but to describe the years since as troubled for the former five-division champion would be an understatement. Mayweather has repeatedly come under fire for alleged financial problems, culminating in him being slapped with a $7.3 million IRS lien for allegedly unpaid taxes and two felony counts related to a 2024 incident in which he allegedly wrote a bounced check for $200,000.
Advertising
Mayweather was also hit with a lawsuit in June by promoter CSI Entertainment, which claimed the Hall of Fame boxer pocketed $4.65 million in advances for scheduled fights against Mike Tyson and Manny Pacquiao, only to back out of the deals. As a result of the lawsuit, Mayweather’s planned exhibition bout against kickboxer Mike Zambidis, which was scheduled to take place in Athens, Greece, in late June, was canceled.
The 38-year-old Crawford is no stranger to big-money fights. The future Hall of Famer retired in September as an undefeated five-division champion after defeating Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in a blockbuster victory that made him the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. And for Crawford, who earned hundreds of millions over the course of his celebrated career, Mayweather’s plight serves as a warning to young athletes everywhere.
Advertising
When asked about Mayweather on “The Ariel Helwani Show” on Wednesday, Crawford said:
“It’s sad when you hear about the people who come after him and call him broke. Floyd will never be broke. You might have $200 million and they call you broke because you don’t have the status you had yesterday that you have today. But Floyd has an expensive lifestyle and if you’re not making money, just as much money as you’re spending, then of course you’re on the wrong path.”
“For these young, aspiring athletes – and not just in boxing, but for athletes all over the world – it’s definitely a lesson that tomorrow is not promised, so you have to make the right investments with your money and make the right decisions. Because you can use it as a tool to make money, but at the same time it can hinder you and you can get burned at the end of the day thinking you’re going to get another check tomorrow. So you have to plan for the future, and some people.” Don’t do that.
Mayweather’s alleged money problems came to the forefront again this year when Netflix announced that Mayweather and his longtime rival Pacquiao would face off in a rematch on September 19, more than 11 years after their record-breaking first fight. The duel was expected to take place as a professional fight – an astonishing development in itself as Mayweather has long defended his undefeated professional record and has instead opted to only compete since retiring in 2017.
However, it currently remains unclear when – or if – this rematch will actually take place, according to the lawsuit filed by promoter CSI Entertainment.
https://sports.yahoo.com/boxing/article/terence-crawford-calls-floyd-mayweathers-money-problems-a-lesson-for-young-athletes-its-sad-210639439.html
