Floyd Mayweather is known for his extravagant lifestyle, but the retired boxing champion may have taken his fancy shirts and flashy diamond earrings off after all. The 75-year-old legend managed to secure a whopping $29.4 million while gambling on the Golden State Warriors this year. Not bad for a player who reportedly earns $25,000 a month in endorsement deals alone!
Mayweather’s impressive winnings were enabled by a combination of sharp betting skills and some pretty lucky odds. The former champion reportedly made a $12,000 winning bet on the Warriors on January 23, and parlayed that initial victory into 16 more wins—and ultimately a $29.4 million payday.
To put that into perspective, consider this: The Golden State Warriors are currently 66-19 this year and have a league-best.708 winning percentage. If you’re looking for an underdog team with great odds, look no further than the Warriors.
It’s fair to say that the odds were in Mayweather’s favor this year, as the NBA champion Warriors were one of the more popular picks among sportsbooks to win the 2019 NBA title. With the regular season over and the playoffs on the horizon, it’s time to see how successful Mayweather really was this year as a gambler. Let’s take a look…
How Much Did Mayweather Actually Lose?
With a staggering $29.4 million winnings and negligible losses, it’s fair to say that Mayweather did pretty well this year as a gambler. The retired boxer’s winnings consisted of $12,000 on January 23, 2019, followed by a $17,000 win on February 6 and a $7,500 win on February 27. His 16 total wins landed him on a 16-game winning streak which he ultimately cashed in on for a $29.4 million payday.
The $12,000 bet from January 23 placed Mayweather at -$12,000, a net gain of $12,000. From there, the boxer marched to the win column, winning $17,000 on February 6 and then $7,500 on February 27. After those two wins, Mayweather’s record stood at 16-0-2. If you’re looking for an NBA pick to win the title, look no further than the Warriors.
What Did Mayweather Win By?
While Mayweather did very well this year as a gambler, it wasn’t all good news for the retired boxer. His 16 victories were actually less successful than one would assume, as he went 16-0-2 against the spread and over/under, resulting in a net loss of $28,400. That’s not to say that Mayweather’s picks were bad—he just happened to lose more than he won this year.
That $28,400 loss was composed of a $12,000 loss on January 23, a $10,600 loss on February 6, a $5,600 loss on February 27, a $3,000 loss on March 13, a $7,000 loss on April 3, a $4,500 loss on April 10, a $4,000 loss on April 17, a $5,600 loss on April 24 and a $5,600 loss on May 1. All told, Mayweather didn’t hit the jackpot this year as a gambler, losing $50,000 on his picks.
Forbes has ranked the top 50 highest-earning sportspeople of all time, and Floyd Mayweather ranks 25th on the list with $60 million, making him one of the highest-paid athletes of all time. It’s safe to assume that Mayweather’s extravagant lifestyle is a product of his incredible earnings, as he’s one of the few athletes who can retire on his own terms at the age of 75. The only other athlete in the top 50 with a net winnings of $60 million is Michael Jordan.