Mayweather Ordered to Pay $340,000 in Manhattan Rent Case

New York judge enters $340,000 default judgment

A New York state judge has ordered retired boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. to pay $340,000 in a dispute over rent and damages tied to a luxury Manhattan condominium at the Baccarat Hotel and Residences. The default judgment involves owners Leila and David Centner and a unit at 20 West 53rd Street that Mayweather rented for $100,000 a month.

According to Realtor.com News, the Centners bought two units on the building's 18th and 19th floors for more than $15 million and rented one to Mayweather in 2024. The owners, acting through an LLC, later sued after he allegedly stopped making monthly payments midway through 2025.

The claim initially sought $500,000. The parties subsequently agreed to a lower settlement amount with a Dec. 2, 2025, payment deadline, but the report says the payment was not made and attempts to reach Mayweather went unanswered. The judge's default judgment is the owners' latest step toward recovering the money.

The property was sold for $20 million in the week before the judgment was reported on Oct. 29. That sequence matters to sellers: transferring a property does not necessarily erase a preexisting rent claim, settlement obligation or lawsuit. But whether a former owner retains a particular claim depends on the lease, settlement, sale documents and applicable law.

A tenant dispute can follow a property into the sale process

Most sellers will never deal with a $100,000 monthly lease, but the underlying problem is familiar at every price point. A tenant stops paying, communications break down, and the owner decides to sell while money remains disputed. That combination can complicate buyer diligence, title review, closing adjustments and the seller's representations about the property.

A seller should tell the listing agent and closing professionals about an active rent dispute early. Hiding or minimizing it can create a larger problem if a buyer later discovers court filings, unpaid building charges, a tenant possession issue or conflicting claims about the security deposit. The safer approach is to identify exactly what remains unresolved and decide how it will be handled before accepting an offer.

The sale contract should distinguish the real estate from claims connected to the prior tenancy. Questions include whether unpaid rent stays with the seller, whether any claim is assigned to the buyer, who controls pending litigation, and who receives money collected after closing. Sellers also need clear accounting for rent prorations, deposits, concessions and damage claims.

If the tenant has already moved out, that does not make the paperwork irrelevant. Buyers may ask whether possession was legally surrendered, whether the unit was inspected, and whether repair costs are supported. In a condominium, sellers should also confirm that the building has not imposed charges or restrictions arising from the tenancy.

Lease files and settlement records can determine leverage

The Mayweather case also illustrates the importance of a complete paper trail. A landlord preparing to sell should preserve the signed lease, amendments, payment ledger, notices, emails, inspection records, photographs, invoices and any agreement resolving the dispute. If an LLC owns the property, records should consistently identify the correct owner and payee.

A settlement requires the same discipline. Sellers should track the amount due, payment method, deadline, notice requirements and consequences of a missed payment. An informal understanding or scattered message history can leave the parties arguing over what was actually promised. A written agreement is useful only if the owner can show that its conditions were met and its enforcement steps were followed.

A default judgment means the court entered a ruling without the defendant successfully contesting the claim at that stage. It does not necessarily mean the owner has already collected the award. Collection may require additional procedures, and a defendant may seek relief from a default depending on the facts and court rules. Sellers should therefore avoid treating a judgment as cash in hand when calculating expected proceeds or deciding how much flexibility they have at closing.

That distinction matters when marketing a property with an unresolved claim. The listing price should rest on the property's market value, not on an assumption that disputed rent will soon be recovered. A buyer may value the property independently and decline to take on any litigation or collection risk.

What landlord-sellers should settle before listing

Before putting a tenant-occupied or recently vacated home on the market, sellers should establish who has possession, what is owed and which documents support that position. They should also review whether local rules affect notices, entry for showings, security-deposit handling or disclosures. Requirements vary substantially by jurisdiction, so a local attorney or qualified property professional may be needed.

Sellers should give buyers a consistent account of the tenancy. The lease dates, monthly rent, payment status and move-out terms should match across the listing materials, financial records and contract disclosures. Contradictions can slow diligence and weaken confidence even when the underlying dispute is manageable.

If litigation is pending, the sale agreement should address control of the case and cooperation after closing. A former owner may need records or testimony from a property manager, broker or building staff. The buyer may need protection from costs associated with conduct that occurred before ownership transferred. Those responsibilities should not be left to assumptions.

Finally, sellers should separate three different numbers: the amount alleged, the amount agreed in a settlement and the amount ultimately awarded or collected. In this case, the reported figures moved from a $500,000 claim to a reduced settlement and then to a $340,000 judgment. Treating those figures as interchangeable would obscure both the legal posture and the seller's actual financial position.

The practical lesson is straightforward: a sale can proceed while a rent dispute continues, but only if the parties know what is being sold, what claim remains behind and who is responsible for pursuing it. Clean records and precise closing language are more valuable than optimistic assumptions about eventual payment.