Floyd Mayweather may be no closer to signing a next bout, but he has still found a way to inject himself into the public discourse and make boxing headlines.
Via Mayweather's official Facebook page, the five-division world champ made sure to let the world know just how much of a high roller he is and how good he is at playing the odds.
On September 5th, Mayweather posted a photo of a betting slip he had, wagering $200,000 on the Dallas Cowboys at halftime of their NFL season opener against the New York Giants. The successful bet garnered "Money" $181,818.20.
The caption for the photo read, "I bet the Cowboys second half $200,000. This is real. Not a rumor like Michigan," in reference to the well-publicized story that Mayweather had lost $3 million betting on the Michigan Wolverines to beat the Alabama Crimson Tide in an NCAA football game last Saturday night.
The following day, Mayweather posted another photo of a betting slip, this time betting $100,000 in a halftime wager on Cincinnati to top Pittsburgh in the NCAA's Big East football opener.This time, the fighter would pocket $90,909.10 for his efforts.
Winning over $272,000 in less than twenty-four hours is great news for Mayweather and his crew of hangers on and yes men, but all of this begs the question: What about the fighter's overall record as a high-rolling gambler? From reading his social media postings and listening to his interviews, you'd get the impression that Mayweather never loses his bets, but Las Vegas isn't in business because they lose more than they win.
Even if the $3 million loss is nothing but a rumor, there have to be plenty of other headline-worthy losses kept quiet by Team Mayweather.
At some point, Mayweather's career as a professional prizefighter will be over. And, like many other high-living boxing stars have discovered in retirement, he will find that there's nobody more quickly abandoned than a fighter who's no longer on TV and no longer making (and spending) ridiculous amounts of cash. Bad habits developed as superstars always come back to haunt world class boxers once there's no more money coming in.
Mayweather is 35-years-old now and, even if he decides to fight again, there aren't many more paydays left in his career. And, yeah, Mayweather may make $40 million or so per fight, but he will be shocked at how quickly his extravagant lifestyle and massive entourage eat through any savings he may have. Add to that a gambling habit, and you have the recipe for a pretty bleak future-- especially for those of us who have seen this habit repeated over and over again with other once-invincible stars.
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Paul Magno was a licensed official in the state of Michoacan, Mexico and a close follower of the sport for more than thirty years. His work can also be found on Fox Sports and The BoxingTribune. In the past, Paul has done work for Inside Fights, The Queensberry Rules and Eastside Boxing.
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