Floyd Mayweather and Showtime joined forces for some of the biggest fights in boxing history during the final years of the Hall of Famer's legendary career.
Today, they are on opposite sides of a multimillion-dollar legal battle.
According to a report from news site TMZ, Mayweather has filed a lawsuit against the one-time cable giant as well as longtime Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza. In the complaint, filed in the state of California, Mayweather alleges aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty, civil conspiracy to commit fraud, conversion, and unjust enrichment.
The former five-division champion seeks to recover at least $340 million in alleged misappropriated funds, as well as punitive damages.
"Floyd is one of boxing’s biggest pay-per-view draws. He generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for Showtime," Bobby Samini, Mayweather's attorney, told TMZ Sports. "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 filing stems from claims that moneys that should have been distributed to Mayweather were instead sent directly to longtime adviser Al Haymon by Showtime and Espinoza. The former boxer cited his blockbuster, record-breaking events with Manny Pacquiao (May 2015) and Conor McGregor (August 2017) among his fights where the amount of revenue he helped generate paled in comparison to his final compensation.
Despite the suggestion of Haymon being in on the alleged scam, Mayweather did not name the high-powered figure in his complaint.
Mayweather first entered a union with Showtime in 2013 after having long fought on HBO and its pay-per-view arm.
Two fights into his six-fight agreement with Showtime, Mayweather set financial benchmarks in his September 2013 win over then-unbeaten Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. The bout headlined a Showtime PPV from MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas and established the record for the biggest live gate for any fight to take place in Nevada. It also generated more revenue than any other PPV fight in history, along with generating the second most units sold – surpassed only by his May 2007 win over Oscar De La Hoya.
Mayweather outdid himself, financially, with his May 2015 win over Pacquiao. Their pound-for-pound showdown aired as a joint PPV venture between Showtime and HBO, and remains by far the highest-grossing event in boxing history on every level – live gate, PPV revenue, units sold, sponsorship generated and closed-circuit ticket sales. He bowed out of the sport four months later, following his 49th career win in a lopsided decision over Andre Berto.
Two years and one retirement later, Mayweather returned for a novelty fight with McGregor, a UFC legend and pro boxing debutant. Their August 2017 affair remains second only to Mayweather-Pacquiao in live gate, PPV units sold and PPV revenue generated.
Mayweather claimed years later that he emerged as the sport's only-ever and self-made billionaire. However, that status was clearly based on expected income that he alleges to have never received.
BoxingScene has reached out to all involved parties and their respective legal representation; those messages went unreturned as this goes to publication.
Showtime continued to do business with Mayweather Promotions both during and long after the boxer's incredible career. The platform ultimately bowed out of the boxing business altogether in 2023 and no longer exists as a standalone network, having since rolled into the Paramount+ app.
