Former five-division champion Floyd Mayweather is facing the repercussions of his support for Israel. According to various reports, the 47-year-old boxing legend was attacked by a mob as he shopped in a jewelry store in Hatton Garden, Central London. Several clips of the incident have surfaced online, and fans are having a field day with them.
Back in March, ‘Money’ Mayweather flew to Israel to show his support for the country, which is embroiled in an ongoing war. In fact, when the conflict in the Jewish nation first began, Mayweather pledged his allegiance on social media, suggesting he “stands with” the country. He even penned a strong message, sharing his views on the matter.
Why was Floyd Mayweather attacked?
“I stand with Israel against the Hamas terrorists. Hamas [does] not represent the people of Palestine but are a terrorist group that [is] attacking innocent lives,” Floyd wrote in a post supporting Israel. “I stand for all humans and wish for the safe return of all Americans and Israelis and any human that were kidnapped as hostages during these horrific war crimes.”
“This is not a time for politics. This is a time for safety first and foremost.” Regardless, his support for the country seems to have been the root cause of the attack against him on Tuesday in Central London. In a video surfaced on Instagram, Floyd Mayweather can be seen wearing a green jacket, and appeared visibly distressed, as his security escorted him.
Meanwhile, a large mob can be seen gathered around the former boxer, as his bodyguards rushed him into a blacked-out 4×4. According to reports, his car eventually sped out of the area, while some of his security team stayed behind. Several varying eyewitness reports are coming in about what happened during the incident.
The Sun reported that a source close to Mayweather had claimed that Floyd was “not touched” during the incident, but another eyewitness claimed the boxer “took a few hits.” Reportedly, everything began when Mayweather was out shopping and an individual asked him whether he supported Israel.
Mayweather seems to have responded “proud to support the Jews,” so the witness claimed someone around the former boxer swung at him. “Then someone took a swing at him because of that. It looked very targeted,” the source continued. “Floyd took a few hits during it, but his security was trying to push people back.”
The source claimed despite the attack they could not see Mayweather attack the people back—just his bodyguards trying to create distance between him and the parties involved. One post featuring the clip on Instagram was captioned, “Floyd Mayweather chased out of Hatton Gardens after making controversial comments.”
However, another post with a clip of the incident captioned the post, “Floyd Mayweather chased out of Hatton Gardens in London. The public [is] angry over his comments and support for Israel.” Regardless of the reason behind the attack, people online quickly started talking about it.
Fans allege even the mob was scared to attack Mayweather
Even though Floyd Mayweather faced outrage on the streets of London, fans online were rather supportive. One user felt the mob got aggressive after Mayweather got into his car. “Looks like they got aggressive after he was pulling off they knew better,” the user wrote. However, as mentioned before, the incident began while Mayweather was in a jewelry store. The clip showed bits and pieces of what actually happened—eyewitness testimonies claim things were much more heated.
Meanwhile, this user was not too pleased with Mayweather. “Don’t come to London underestimating it, ‘Money May.’ You[‘re] a nobody to the road men over here,” the user commented. Notably, a source told The Sun that some members of the crowd even “used racial slurs” towards him.
Another user thought one member of the mob became louder as Mayweather’s car got further. “Lol dude yelled louder the farther the car [drove] away,” the user commented. However, one eyewitness told The Sun, “There was a massive argument going on. People were pushing trying to get him and slap his head. All these macho men were trying to fight him.”
relinquished the IBF title, now held by Daniel Dubois, opting instead for a rematch with Fury rather than facing the mandatory challenger Dubois. As they both prepare for the upcoming bout, 36-year-old Fury – with an enviable record of 34 wins from 36 fights, including a draw – and Usyk, who is unbeaten in his 22 professional bouts, are finishing up their fight prep.