Floyd Mayweather has launched a major legal battle against Showtime, accusing the broadcaster and its former sports boss of withholding massive sums from some of the most lucrative fights of his career.
The retired boxing icon filed a lawsuit in California targeting Showtime and former Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza, alleging that he is owed hundreds of millions of dollars from bouts aired on the network, including his blockbuster 2017 fight against UFC star Conor McGregor.
Mayweather signed a six-fight agreement with Showtime in 2013, a partnership that ultimately covered the final seven fights of his unbeaten professional career. However, he now claims the deal was marred by what his legal team describes as “a long-running and elaborate scheme of financial fraud,” resulting in missing earnings that remain unaccounted for.
According to the suit, Mayweather believes his former adviser, Al Haymon, played a central role in diverting a significant portion of his fight revenue, allegedly with the “substantial participation and aid” of Stephen Espinoza. While Haymon is not named as a defendant, the lawsuit claims that funds generated from Mayweather’s bouts were misappropriated during the course of their business relationship.
The boxer and his representatives estimate that the disputed amount is in the region of $340 million (£250 million). They argue that despite repeated attempts to trace the funds, the money remains missing.
Showtime and Espinoza are accused of “aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty, civil conspiracy to commit fraud, conversion, and unjust enrichment.” Mayweather’s team has requested access to the network’s financial records to determine how revenues from his fights were handled.
However, Mayweather alleges that Showtime has claimed it cannot produce the relevant documents, stating that the records were “lost in a flood,” a claim his legal team disputes.
Determined to pursue the matter, Mayweather’s lawyers insist the former champion will fight the case to its conclusion.
His lawyer, Bobby Samini, told TMZ: “Floyd is one of boxing’s biggest pay-per-view draws.
“He generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for Showtime.
“Mr. Mayweather now takes this fight to the courtroom to recover what he rightfully earned.
“Retiring undefeated at 50-0, Mr. Mayweather will go the distance in the courtroom just as he has in the ring.”
The lawsuit adds another dramatic chapter to Mayweather’s post-retirement career, shifting the arena from packed stadiums to the courtroom as he seeks answers over the fate of his earnings.
