Real Estate

Floyd Mayweather accused in lawsuits of owing millions for luxury watches, gold, and rent on palatial apartment

Floyd Mayweather in a baseball cap
Floyd Mayweather is facing three new lawsuits alleging unpaid bills. Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images
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Former boxing champ Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been hit with three new lawsuits alleging that he failed to pay millions to two jewelry stores and owes hundreds of thousands of dollars in rent on a palatial luxury Manhattan apartment.

Mayweather rented the 4,629-square-foot duplex unit on the 18th and 19th floors of the Baccarat Hotel and Residences, a high-end condo tower in Midtown, in late 2024. The lease signing was reported in several outlets, including the New York Post and Architectural Digest.

The lawsuit filed in January in state court alleges that he fell behind on the $100,000-a-month rent for five months and agreed to pay up, then only gave them a portion of what was owed.

The apartment is owned by Leila and David Centner, a Miami couple who are wellness and tech entrepreneurs. The Centners purchased two condos at The Baccarat in 2016 for $15.3 million and combined them into the two-level unit later rented by Mayweather.

Seating on the outdoor deck of a condo rented by Floyd Mayweather
Floyd Mayweather rented the apartment at the Baccarat Hotel & Residences for $100,000 a month.  Leila Centner

Leila Centner told Business Insider that Mayweather initially paid the rent, then stopped in July 2025. She said she spoke to him in December about missed payments and that he appeared unaware he owed $500,000 in back rent.

"He was surprised," she said. "He had no idea he was that far behind."

Mayweather made one $100,000 payment, but didn't settle the remaining balance, and didn't respond to her further efforts to reach him, Centner said.

"He did say he'd pay, and then he disappeared. We don't know why," Centner said.

The dining table in the condo rented by Floyd Mayweather
The apartment Floyd Mayweather rented is a 4,629-square-foot duplex unit .  Leila Centner

The suit seeks $337,736.13. The sum represents the $500,000 in arrears plus late fees, minus a deposit Mayweather paid at the start of the lease and the $100,000 catch-up payment.

An attorney for Mayweather did not provide a comment by deadline. He has not responded to the lawsuit in court.

In a separate legal matter, a Miami jeweler sued Mayweather last month, alleging the boxer owes more than a million dollars for jewelry he took but never paid for.

AJ's Jewelry said in a complaint filed in state court that Mayweather, described as a longtime customer, made two trips to the store in August and left with 26 Cartier, Patek Philippe, Rolex, and Audemars Piguet watches, and 15 gold chains. The suit claims that Mayweather agreed to pay the $1.675 million bill later.

Floyd Mayweather in a boxing ring wearing gold jewelry
Floyd Mayweather, who racked up more than a billion in winnings over his career, is fond of bling.  Brynn Anderson/AP

"Because of the parties' long-standing relationship and prior transactions, AJ's Jewelry reasonably believed and relied upon Mayweather's promises to pay for the jewelry items that he took possession of in full," the complaint says.

"To date, Mayweather has only paid AJ's Jewelry $300,000 of the outstanding balance."

The store alleged that five checks from Mayweather between August and November bounced.

"AJ's Jewelry has repeatedly contacted Mayweather both orally and in writing, to request payment of the remaining balance for the Jewelry. Each time, Mayweather acknowledges the debt owed and promises to pay for the Jewelry, then never sends the monies owed," the complaint said.

Mayweather's attorney has not responded to the filing in court and did not offer a comment by deadline.

Mayweather is also facing legal action from another Miami jeweler. Leonard Sulaymanov sued him and associate Jona Rechnitz in federal court last month, accusing them of failing to honor the terms of a settlement they had reached last year over $3.9 million in watches and jewelry that Mayweather had been accused of taking and failing to pay for.

Mayweather's attorney did not provide a comment on that suit. Rechnitz — who is awaiting resentencing in a federal corruption case — did not respond.

Floyd Mayweather and Jona Rechnitz pose in courtside seats at a basketball game.
Floyd Mayweather and his associate Jona Rechnitz attend an LA Lakers game in October.  Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images

The 48-year-old boxer racked up over a billion dollars in winnings over his undefeated career and has pivoted to business ventures, including real estate investment, since his 2017 retirement.

In December, Business Insider reported that Mayweather had taken out millions in mortgages on his homes in 2024 and 2025 and faced a string of lawsuits and liens. Two of Mayweather's commercial properties have been foreclosed, and he is at risk of losing a Las Vegas building that houses his strip club over $52,000 in back property taxes and penalties.

In response to Business Insider's story in December, Mayweather's lawyer, Bobby Samini, said the athlete is not "experiencing financial strain."

"Floyd Mayweather rose from poverty and hardship to become one of the greatest champions in boxing history, transforming his talent and discipline into an undefeated legacy and a highly successful business empire," Samini said in a statement at the time. "Creating unfounded narratives misrepresents the truth and minimizes the achievements of an individual who has risen from adversity to become one of the most successful athletes and entrepreneurs of his generation."

Earlier this week, Mayweather filed a lawsuit against Showtime Networks, which broadcast some of his biggest fights, and former executive Stephen Espinoza, seeking more than $340 million for "misappropriated funds" from decade-old bouts.

The complaint alleges that Showtime and Mayweather's former manager, Al Haymon, diverted winnings from the boxer in what it called a "long-running and elaborate scheme of financial fraud."

Haymon, described as a "father figure" to Mayweather in the complaint, is not named as a defendant in the suit. He could not be reached for comment, and a close associate did not return calls.

"These baseless claims lack legal or factual merit. We strongly reject them and will respond accordingly through the court process," a spokesperson for Showtime parent Paramount wrote in a statement to Business Insider. Espinoza declined to comment.

Note: Floyd Mayweather filed a defamation lawsuit against Business Insider in connection with a previous story about Mayweather's real estate investments. The case is pending, and BI stands by its reporting.

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Ellen Thomas
Ellen Thomas was an investigative reporter on Business Insider's technology desk. Her recent work focused on the data center construction boom, energy, and the economy."The True Cost of Data Centers" series won the 2025 George Polk Award for Environmental Reporting and a Best in Business honorable mention from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing (SABEW). Her investigation on Amazon data centers in Virginia was honored in 2024 by the National Association of Real Estate Editors. Occasionally, public records searches lead her to work off-beat. Recent coverage includes Floyd Mayweather's financial troubles and ICE's $1 billion in warehouse purchases under former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. Before joining Business Insider, Ellen spent five years covering retail and the beauty industry for WWD. Selected stories:Data centersAmazon built a data center empire in Northern Virginia. It's using as much energy as a major city.Data centers have become an economic powerhouse. Now they're throwing their weight around in Virginia politics. SCOOP: An on-site natural gas plant will power Stargate's first data center in TexasIn the biggest market for data centers, Big Tech flashes cash and influenceOracle got big tax breaks in Texas. Now its going back for more.ICEHere's where ICE is spending big to turn warehouses into detention centersFloyd MayweatherIRS seeks $7.3 million from Floyd MayweatherFloyd Mayweather accused in lawsuits of owing millions for luxury watches, gold, and rent on palatial apartmentMoney to blow: Inside Floyd Mayweather's lavish, debt-filled post-boxing lifeFloyd Mayweather's fitness business is on the ropes. Gym owners are punching back.Floyd Mayweather Jr. bragged about a $400 million property deal. There's just one problem. SalesforceSCOOP: Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield to exit in JanuaryLeaked document lays out Salesforce plan to hit 30% marginsBenioff v. Benioff: Inside 18 Difficult Months at SalesforceRetailUnilever bought Dollar Shave Club for $1 billion. Now, insiders — and even its own CEO — are calling the acquisition a failure. Lady Gaga's Haus Beauty launch on Amazon bombed and triggered a 'mass exodus' of talent. Now its pinning its hopes on a rebrand and Sephora debut. How a German princess and political journalist and with a powerful royal social network became the CEO of the Kardashian beauty brands
Dan Geiger
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Daniel Geiger was a real estate correspondent for Business Insider covering the market, deals, trends and, of course, big news.