Floyd Mayweather Jr. says “there’s no truth to the rumors” surrounding footage of him being confronted in the Hatton Garden area of London.
While the footage itself is indeed real, Mayweather’s statement, shared to his Instagram Tuesday night, is in reference to claims of him having been “punched” or otherwise touched during the incident, which has been linked on social media to the former pro boxer’s widely criticized public support for Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu, current prime minister of the country.
“Let me set the record straight...there's no truth to the rumors going around,” Mayweather, who met with Netanyahu in October, wrote. “I wasn't punched or touched in any way. What you're seeing is just my security doing their job to keep things under control.”
Elaborating further, Mayweather said he was in the region “for a quick 48-hour stop to do some shopping,” ultimately downplaying the incident.
“I’m perfectly fine, and there’s really nothing more to it,” he added.
Although it’s difficult to make out what all is being shouted in footage shared by TMZ, you can clearly hear shouts of “Pussy!” And “You better go!” as Mayweather is escorted out of the situation. Initial clips appeared to show Mayweather inside when the incident broke out, with the confrontation at some point making its way outside.
Earlier this month, Amnesty International, a human rights-focused organization, said it had found “sufficient basis to conclude that Israel has committed and is continuing to commit genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip.” These findings were detailed in a 296-page report, available in full here. Israel, meanwhile, has rejected the organization's findings.
