As the sports wagering world prepares for the calamity that will be the McGregor-Mayweather press tour, a very intriguing headline has made its way to the forefront of the UFC betting discussion.
When news first broke of the colossal mega-fight between Mayweather and the biggest name in the UFC, the sports world erupted with criticism and speculation. Many criticized Money for stepping inside the ring against a fighter who had never even competed in a professional boxing match, while others speculated that the fight would be over before it ever began.
Included in that speculation were many half-baked theories as to why Mayweather actually accepted the fight. Many felt that it was an easy win to eclipse Rocky Marciano’s unblemished 49-0 record. However, the latest sports wagering revelation sheds some light into this situation.
As a new ESPN article reports, Floyd Mayweather has racked up a pretty large bill with the IRS. Although Mayweather has immense assets, the report details that most of those are inaccessible.
“Although the taxpayer has substantial assets, those are restricted and primarily illiquid,” a Tax Court petition issues by Mayweather on the 5th of the July outlines. “The taxpayer has a significant liquidity event scheduled in about 60 days from which he intends to pay the balance of the 2015 tax liability due and outstanding.”
At the time, it is not explicitly known how much the boxer owes the Internal Revenue Service, but it’s safe to bet that it’s well into the millions. It has also been reported that the IRS has previously argued that Mayweather has access to enough resources to pay the debt off immediately, albeit it might mean selling property or taking out a loan.
It did not take long for Money to respond. Mayweather decided to take to Instagram to voice his opinion on the matter stating:
“Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear…” Mayweather started. “These are the facts, Uncle Same received $26,000,000.00 from me in 2015! What else could they possibly want?”
Along with the post, the boxer shared a picture detailing a $100 million check – which was his guaranteed purse from the bout – which is still untouched. Sources have confirmed that the check was genuine, but ironically enough, that check still needs to have the taxes taken out.
As we get closer to the sports wagering fight, more and more details will come out regarding Mayweather’s outstanding balance with the IRS. But as of right now, it seems safe to assume that the 40-year old boxer is stepping into the ring in order to pay this debt.
Meanwhile, the timing of this news could not have been worse for Mayweather. On the verge of the world press tour, McGregor now has some very personal fuel to add to the trash talking fire. The Irishman has an uncanny ability to mess with his opponent’s heads and now that he has this personal detail to cling his claws to, the sportsbook odds will be expecting nothing but blood in the coming days.
