Warrant issued for Mayweather Jr.


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A Las Vegas judge has issued an outstanding arrest warrant for boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. on a misdemeanor battery complaint alleging he poked a security guard in the face several times.

The warrant issued Dec. 8 requires Mayweather to turn himself in or face arrest at any time, said Las Vegas police Officer Bill Cassel.

Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Tony Abbatangelo signed the arrest warrant for Mayweather after a Dec. 8 hearing, then immediately recalled it. It was reinstated after prosecutors complained Mayweather had received special treatment. Prosecutors also argued that Mayweather has a history of dangerous behavior and should be arrested.

A court hearing to review the warrant was scheduled for Tuesday.

Mayweather, 33, faces a a six-month jail sentence and a $1,000 fine if convicted.

Mayweather's lawyer, Karen Winckler, could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday. She has denied wrongdoing on his behalf.

The battery allegation stems from a Nov. 15 confrontation over parking tickets between the undefeated champion and a security guard outside Mayweather's home.

Police allege a "verbally abusive" Mayweather blocked the guard, Shayne Smith, from leaving a cul-de-sac, screamed he had no business "touching his personal property" and repeatedly jabbed his finger into Smith's cheek.

Police said photographs taken during the investigation show redness and discoloration below Smith's left eye.

Mayweather has been the focus of several other police investigations in recent months, and made headlines in September with an online video laced with expletives and racial rants against Philippine boxing rival Manny Pacquiao.

He was convicted in 2002 of misdemeanor battery stemming from a fight with two women at a Las Vegas nightclub. He received a suspended one-year jail sentence and was ordered to undergo impulse-control counseling.

He was fined in Grand Rapids, Mich., in February 2005 and ordered to perform community service after pleading no contest to misdemeanor assault and battery in a bar fight.

Mayweather is free on $33,000 bail on unrelated felony coercion, grand larceny and robbery charges from a September dispute with his children and their mother. He could face up to 34 years in prison if convicted in that case.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=5927325

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LAS VEGAS -- Floyd Mayweather Jr. spent a night in a Las Vegas jail before his release Friday on a misdemeanor battery warrant stemming from an allegation that the boxer poked a security guard in the face last month outside his home.

The second arrest in three months for the undefeated prizefighter drew allegations from his lawyer that police and prosecutors overreacted to a minor criminal accusation and that the 33-year-old Mayweather was getting "unequal punitive exaggerated treatment."

"This is a misdemeanor," attorney Richard Wright told The Associated Press. He noted that police usually write a ticket for a misdemeanor, or issue a court summons at the jail.

Wright accused District Attorney David Roger of "going out of his way to treat [Mayweather] differently than anyone else."

Roger didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Mayweather was arrested just before midnight Thursday at the posh Bellagio resort on the Las Vegas Strip and booked early Friday into the Clark County jail without bail.

Police initially said the boxer might remain in jail pending a Monday court date. But defense attorney Karen Winckler intervened, and Mayweather was freed less than 12 hours after his arrest.

The misdemeanor charge stems from a confrontation Nov. 15 during which authorities allege Mayweather poked a 21-year-old security guard repeatedly in the left cheek during a loud verbal confrontation over parking tickets. Mayweather's attorneys have denied wrongdoing on his behalf.

The warrant was issued Dec. 8 by a Las Vegas justice of the peace, but he immediately recalled it. It was reinstated Dec. 13 after prosecutors complained that Mayweather was receiving preferential treatment.

The judge, Tony Abbatangelo, scheduled a Tuesday hearing to determine whether Mayweather should remain free pending trial. The misdemeanor case carries a possible six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Mayweather is one of the boxing's richest and most recognizable figures, with 25 knockouts in his 41 wins. He goes by the nickname "Money," and earned more than $20 million in May from a single fight in Las Vegas against "Sugar" Shane Mosley.

But he has also been dogged in recent years by allegations of violence and confrontations at home and at Las Vegas clubs.

Mayweather has misdemeanor battery and assault convictions in Las Vegas and his hometown of Grand Rapids, Mich., and is facing a felony coercion, grand larceny and robbery case stemming from a September dispute with his children and their mother at her home.

He faces trial Jan. 24 in that case, and could face up to 34 years in prison if convicted.

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wow that must be a seriously strong poke if you can get bruised from it... i'd imagine that most people's fingers would snap before they could do that kind of damage on another person's face?

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