American boxing icon Floyd Mayweather has filed a blockbuster lawsuit against Showtime and former Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza, alleging he was denied earnings from several bouts aired by the network, including his 2017 mega-fight against UFC star Conor McGregor.
Mayweather signed a lucrative six-fight deal with Showtime in 2013, with the broadcaster eventually airing the final seven fights of his professional career. However, he claims the network owes him “hundreds of millions of dollars” in misappropriated funds stemming from what he describes as a long-running and elaborate financial fraud scheme.
In the lawsuit filed in California, Mayweather alleges that former adviser and Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) owner Al Haymon misappropriated a significant portion of his career earnings, with the “substantial participation and assistance” of former Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza.
Mayweather and his team estimate the allegedly missing funds to be around $340 million (£250 million). Despite these claims, Haymon has not been named as a defendant in the suit.
Instead, Showtime and Espinoza are listed as defendants and are accused of aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty, civil conspiracy to commit fraud, conversion, and unjust enrichment.
Mayweather’s legal team maintains that the money remains “missing and unaccounted for” and has requested access to Showtime’s financial records. According to the boxer, the network has claimed it is unable to produce the documents, alleging they were “lost in a flood.”
Determined to recover the funds, Mayweather has vowed to pursue the case to its conclusion.
His attorney, 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.”