Floyd Mayweather Jr. built a brand on being unbeatable. With a 50-0 record and the nickname “Money,” he always seemed untouchable. But at 49, the Hall of Famer is dealing with lawsuits and financial questions instead of championship fights.
On Tuesday, one of his biggest legal battles ended quietly. Mayweather dropped his $100 million defamation lawsuit against Business Insider. Because it was dismissed “with prejudice,” he can’t file the claim again. Business Insider also dropped its counterclaims and both sides agreed to pay their own legal bills.
Most surprisingly, no press conference took place after the legal move. The man who used to turn every move into a spectacle, the silence suggests a major shift in his career.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Business Insider Legal Fight is Over
The dispute started in early 2025 after Business Insider reporter Daniel Geiger questioned Mayweather’s claim that he bought a $402 million apartment portfolio in Manhattan. Geiger reported that city records showed no evidence of the sale and that sources described Mayweather’s role as small or nonexistent.
Mayweather sued for $100 million that May, claiming Geiger was biased and ignored evidence that the deals were real to humiliate him. Business Insider stood by the story, calling the lawsuit dishonest and arguing it didn’t meet the legal requirements for defamation.
Winning a defamation case is hard for a celebrity like Mayweather under American law because the legal bar is so high. Now the legal fight is over. According to Front Office Sports’ Ben Horney, a Business Insider spokesman stated, “We’re pleased that Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has dropped his lawsuit and that we can definitively put these meritless allegations to rest.”
But his retreat from the Business Insider suit likely has more to do with his messy finances in 2026.
The IRS filed a $7.25 million lien for unpaid taxes from 2018 and 2023, which could even cost him his passport. He also took a risky $54 million loan at 9% interest, putting up his homes, jet, and strip club as collateral. On top of that, he’s being sued for over $330,000 in back rent on a Manhattan duplex.
Mayweather is fighting back with his own $340 million lawsuit against Showtime, claiming his former team stole his earnings. Dropping the Business Insider case was a practical move because he has too many other legal fires to fight right now.
What’s Next for Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The Michigan native is set for a pro rematch with Manny Pacquiao on Sep. 19 on Netflix. Mayweather wants it to be an exhibition to protect his perfect 50-0 record, while Pacquiao is threatening to sue him for hundreds of millions if he doesn’t fight for real.
However, it is officially moving away from The Sphere because the band “The Eagles” added more dates to their residency, including Sep. 19. Promoters are now considering the MGM Grand Garden Arena or the T-Mobile Arena as alternatives.
His fight with Mike Tyson was postponed and a June trip to Greece for another match might be cancelled because the IRS is trying to take his passport over a $7.3 million tax bill. It’s unclear how he’ll manage a comeback while facing so much legal trouble.
