"It might as well have been a million dollars," says Meehan, who turns 44 tomorrow.
Perched comfortably on a bench at Craig McDougall's Flaxmere Boxing Academy at Stortford Lodge, Hastings, this week, Meehan reveals the only way out was to become an undercard amateur boxer to avoid paying $30.
The New Zealander did before his first proper trainer, Latu Raeli, honed the finer art of boxing in Meehan in his backyard gym in the suburb of Avondale.
"Latu would tell the boys they could sleep at his place anytime but they all had to train. He put a lot of belief in me," says Sydney-based professional heavyweight boxer Meehan.
His credentials are better than those of David Tua and Shane Cameron. He is touring the country this week to promote Sky Arena's inaugural eight-man tournament, Super 8.
Irishman Martin Rogan and Englishman Michael Sprott are also on the card for the June 4 last-man-standing event, which offers a $500,000 prize purse - the champion will pocket $200,000 and the loser $100,000.
Rogan (16-4; 8 knockouts) is a Commonwealth champion who clinched the Prizefighter tournament, of a similar mould to the Super 8, in the United Kingdom in 2008.
Former Commonwealth and British champion Sprott (40-21; 27 KO) beat Brian Minto who effectively ended Cameron's career last year in the Fight For Life in West Auckland. The two-time Prizefighter champion recently served a suspension for pushing a referee to the canvas.
Nigeria-born, US-based Samuel Peter, who floored Wladimir Klitschko three times but still lost on a unanimous points decision in New Jersey in 2005, is also believed to be in the mix for the Super 8.
Veteran Meehan is no mug, having lost by a split decision for the WBO world title belt to Lamont Brewster in Las Vegas, Nevada, in September 2004.
The former WBA No1 contender has 38 wins from 42 professional fights, including 31 knockouts. His last fight was in 2012.
Meehan, who has plied his trade in predominantly the US and Germany, has fought under promoter Don King.
"When he [King] was good, he was very, very good, but when he was bad he was very bad," he says of the controversial American promoter, but hastens to add he got him WBA, WBO and IBF title bouts.
Not having fought for two years while working as a garbage collector, Meehan got his break while sparring with John Ruis whose manager recommended him to King.
"I went in a limousine to Florida to sign up with King and got a shot at Brewster.
"They would ask me how many rounds and I'd tell them, 'It's up to you'."
Meehan lost his first pro fight to Briton Danny Williams in 2001 (TKO, first round) in London in pursuit of the Commonwealth title.
His other defeat came two months after the Brewster clash, succumbing to a fourth round TKO to Hasim Rahman in a title eliminator bout.
The last loss was to Uzbekistan southpaw Ruslan Chagaev in 2010 on points.
In October 2007, Meehan upset world No4 contender DaVarryl Williamson, when the American didn't answer the bell for the seventh round.
"I had nine days to prepare for it and he was a knockout puncher," he says of the boxer whose nickname is "Touch of Sleep".
The day before, Meehan's Samoan father-in-law died.
"It was a sad time so I hadn't prepared but I made up my mind I wasn't going to lose.
"It was a good fight where he hurt me and I hurt him but I went back to Auckland for the funeral with something to smile about."
Meehan believes New Zealand is the cradle of singing, rugby and heavyweight civilisation.
He prefers to see his career as an unceremonious exercise - someone who got thrown into the deep end of the boxing world.
It pleases him to see the likes of Sky Arena and Duco Promotions bringing events to New Zealand with high calibre fighters, which means home-grown talent don't have to leave the comfort of home-turf to seek fame and fortune abroad.
"You don't want to leave here to get a break overseas.
"New Zealand has produced good heavyweights in Jimmy [Thunder] Peau, Paea Wolfgramm, Cameron, Tua, myself and now you have Joseph [Parker] coming through," he says, emphasising it is imperative professional fighters find a top promoter.
"You need to fight often and get a big following on pay-per-view TV."
A promising job in the Australian prawn trawling industry beckoned Meehan when he was in his 20s.
But a Fiji-born boxing trainer, the late Brij Sain, changed the Aucklander's life when he offered him a professional bout in Queensland.
"There was good money in prawn trawling but it was hard work going out to sea," says Meehan, who at that juncture had four professional wins under his belt in New Zealand when Sain dangled a fight only days before he was to jet off from Auckland.
The then NZ Boxing Commission declined to grant Meehan permission to fight in Australia but the pugilist brushed it aside, and considered his future lay across the ditch.
Meehan knocked out Australia No1 contender James Grima at Southport, Queensland, in the fourth round on February 26, 1998, and a promising career blossomed, although he couldn't see a break until he was 23-0 before losing his next bout to Williams.
He had an amateur record of 23 wins and five losses. The former Australian heavyweight champion made multiple successful defences until 2000 when he vacated the title.
He believes his amateur experience will put him in good stead for the Super 8 event because they had 4-5 fights on the amateur card over a week.
"I have been training in the gym for a month with weights, bag work and running and sparring with my son a little, too."
His propensity to knock down opponents earned him the nickname "Meanhands" Meehan from "Checkmate".
"Latu used to call me Meanhands but I didn't really think of it until he died so I changed my nickname out of respect for him," says the orthodox fighter who stands a shade under 2m and turned professional after a flirtation with rugby league.
"He used to tell me I had a big future but I would ask myself when and how.
"I just couldn't see when it was coming."
Meehan now coaches boxing to son Willis, 18, who he believes is poised to make his debut for the Sydney City Roosters this season as a forward.
"Willis beat Australian Olympian Yohan Linde to become the Australian Super Heavyweight champion."
He and wife Rowena, who he married as a 28-year-old, have two other sons, 20-year-old Louis (named after former American heavyweight champions Joe Louis) and Isaac, 13.
"Every day the boys are sparring 10 rounds or playing backyard rugby league.
"They don't do homework and I never let them play Playstation.
"Kids in sport keeps kids out of court."
Fighting in his hometown of Auckland is an exciting and nostalgic moment but Meehan is equally proud of his island heritage, rattling off sentences in fluent Fijian to make the point he is still in touch with his maternal roots on the former capital island of Levuka, Ovalau.
He fondly recalls his maternal grandfather coming from the islands to Suva to watch him fight in March 2006 when he sent Brazilian Rogerio Lobo to the canvas in the third round to lift the PABA title.
Robbers fatally gunned down the 35-year-old journeyman at his Sao Paulo restaurant four months later.
