Hall of famer Floyd Mayweather, Jr., has filed a massive $340 million lawsuit alleging that Showtime Bxoing, former President Steven Espinoza and Mayweather's former advisor promoter, Al Haymon, conspired to hide and route money away from him.
Floyd Mayweather Jr., nearly a decade removed from his hall of fame 21-year professional boxing career, has filed a lawsuit late last week against Showtime, the television network that served as his longtime broadcast partner during the most lucrative years of his career. And, it's not for insignificant amount of money.
In the complaint, Mayweather alleges that Showtime and it's then President, Steven Espinoza, knowingly assisted his former manager, Al Haymon, in misappropriating approximately $340 million of his earnings.
While Haymon is central to the allegations, including accusations that he funneled money away from Mayweather that he was owed, he was notably not named as a defendant in the suit
Insider Dan Rafael obtained a copy of the 25-page lawsuit, which details Mayweather’s claims and outlines what he describes as a coordinated effort to conceal financial misconduct. He posted the full lawsuit to his paid subscribers this weekend.
Mayweather officially retired in 2017 after becoming the most commercially successful boxer of this century. He claims he earned more than $1 billion through a series of blockbuster pay-per-view events, including against the likes of fellow hall of famer Manny Pacquao and later UFC superstar Conor McGregor.
The lawsuit, filed in California state court, seeks to “recover hundreds of millions of dollars in misappropriated funds and damages resulting from a long-running and elaborate scheme of financial fraud,” which Mayweather alleges was orchestrated by Haymon with the assistance of Showtime.
According to the filing, Haymon received “substantial participation and aid” from Showtime and Espinoza, the former president of Showtime Sports, which eventually was shut down at the end of 2023 by parent company Paramount. Interestingly, Espinoza has since transitioned into a consulting role with the broadcasts and pay per views with Premier Boxing Champions, the organization founded and operated by Haymon.
The lawsuit further claims that Haymon misappropriated a “significant portion” of Mayweather’s career earnings and that large sums of money remain “missing and unaccounted for.” Mayweather alleges that Showtime and Espinoza played a critical role in enabling this by directing payments owed to him into accounts that were effectively controlled by Haymon, rather than directly to Mayweather and his promotion.
You can hear Rafael with me discussing, at length, what's in the lawsuit and what the chances are for it to move forward or be settled on our recap podcast off the weekend here,
The allegations stem largely from the final chapter of Mayweather’s career, during which all seven of his last professional bouts were aired on Showtime and their PPV arm. These included the highest-grossing fights of his career, the 2015 showdown and decision over Pacquiao, the 2017 crossover bout and stoppage of McGregor, plus earlier contests like against a young Canelo Alvarez.
Mayweather contends that during this period, the financial structure surrounding his bouts allowed Haymon to exercise unchecked control over revenue streams tied to his fights.
The case marks a dramatic turn in the relationship between one of boxing’s biggest stars and the network that helped elevate him to unprecedented commercial success. Now, we wait for Espinoza and Showtime's legal response.