Floyd Mayweather talks as good a game as he plays. So once more, the usual 'I would love to fight in the UK!' quotes are being touted around, the opponent usually nominated is Amir Khan, the venue an outdoor stadium such as the new Wembley in London.
This will never happen.
Just in case you missed it. This will never happen.
Firstly the MGM Grand has been a rather comfortable home for Floyd. He lives in Las Vegas. He trains in Las Vegas. His cars, his clothes, even his smile, they're all Las Vegas. He trousering a cool $41.5 million Las-Vegas sized check for his upcoming bout with Canelo.
Go take a look at Floyd's boxrec. Floyd's last fight was at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. As was the one before that. And so on. Floyd's last fight not in the MGM grand was a few hundred yards up the street at Madalay Bay Casino. You have to go back to 2006 to Oregon and the Sharmba Mitchell fight for his last venture away from The Strip.
Mayweather's nickname is Money, and it is his preferred moniker for a reason.
The UK introduced some very wacky, non-friendly tax laws back in the 2000s, that not only taxed the income that was generated by the athlete in the UK, but also taxed a percentage of the income that athlete made around the world during the rest of the year.*
That's right, the UK taxman decided it would be a good idea to tax foreign athletes, plying their trade in foreign countries, for having the nerve to bring their world class abilities to the UK and bring entertainment and happiness to the general public.
Andre Agassi tried to stand up to this boneheaded law. He lost. Usain Bolt avoids competing in the UK because of it, as I'm sure numerous others do. Top athletes see potential millions being flushed down the drain, and the middling professionals could see a career high payday in another country reduced after deciding to have a crack on the court at Wimbledon, on the course at The Open, or on the track at Crystal Palace.
Floyd has 4 fights left on his deal with Showtime after he has disposed of Canelo in a couple of weeks. Is there a possibility he may fight in another location. I would say the chances are remote, but it's not impossible.
But Money goes where money is. Dubai or Macau, or any other tax-free haven is your only shot of seeing Pretty Boy ply his trade outside of the New World. If I was Amir Khan or on his team, I'd start crunching the numbers and adding '...in Dubai' to the end of his monthly reminded that his marquee fight is just around the corner.
He lives there. He trains there. His family and friends live there. He gambles there. He makes insane amounts of money there. You don't have to be a bookie to work out the odds of where his next 4 fights will be taking place.
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*The UK tax law is in relation to endorsements, which is a major source of most athlete's income. When last year Forbes listed Mayweather as the top earner in all of sport (which they will surely do again this year) his endorsement earnings were listed as $0.
Related Articles
Floyd to fight in the UK? - http://www.boxingscene.com/floyd-mayweather-consider-uk-shows-fight-2014--69297
Great account from British fighter Ashley Theophane, recently signed to TMT promotions, about what goes on in the Mayweather gym. -http://boxingnewsonline.net/latest/feature/ashley-theophane-delivers-fascinating-insight-into-life-inside-the-floyd-mayweather-gym and http://www.boxingnewsonline.net/latest/feature/ashley-theophane-the-floyd-mayweather-gym-diaries
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