Floyd Mayweather Sues Showtime Claiming $340 Million Missing

Lead: On February 3, 2026, Floyd Mayweather filed a civil suit in California accusing Showtime and its former sports president Stephen Espinoza of helping longtime advisor Al Haymon divert a large portion of the boxer’s earnings. Mayweather, who says he earned more than $1 billion across his career, alleges roughly $340 million was misappropriated and is seeking recovery plus punitive damages. The complaint frames Showtime and Espinoza as active participants in a scheme tied to accounts controlled by Haymon; Haymon himself is not named as a defendant in the filing. The case centers on contract accounting, alleged fiduciary breaches, and whether broadcaster practices enabled the transfers.

• Floyd Mayweather filed the lawsuit on February 3, 2026, in California seeking recovery for alleged misappropriation of $340 million.
• Mayweather asserts total career earnings exceeded $1 billion, but claims a significant portion remains unaccounted for.
• Showtime and former Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza are named as defendants; Al Haymon, the longtime advisor alleged to have received funds, is not sued.
• The complaint alleges funds tied to marquee fights (including bouts with Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor) were routed into Haymon-controlled accounts.
• Mayweather’s legal theories include aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty, civil conspiracy to commit fraud, conversion, and unjust enrichment; punitive damages are also sought.
• Mayweather’s team says Showtime provided records that were unavailable or “lost in a flood” when new management requested them years later.

Background: Floyd Mayweather Jr. retired with an unbeaten 50-0 professional record and has been one of boxing’s most lucrative pay-per-view attractions, generating substantial revenue for promoters and broadcasters over two decades. During much of that period he worked with advisor Al Haymon, a dominant figure in boxing management who has advised many top fighters and negotiated broadcast and promotional arrangements. Showtime, a premium cable network with a long history of boxing coverage, employed Stephen Espinoza as president of Showtime Sports until his departure; the network was a frequent broadcast partner for major fights involving Mayweather. Disputes about promoter, manager and broadcaster accounting are not new in boxing — the sport’s fragmented payment chains and third-party intermediaries have previously produced contested settlements and lawsuits. The complaint places the current dispute at the intersection of management practices, broadcaster accounting, and the opaque handling of fight-related revenues.

Mayweather’s filing asserts that, for years, certain payments that should have been made to him were instead sent to accounts effectively controlled by Haymon. The lawsuit claims Showtime and Espinoza “substantially participated” in that process by directing payments into those accounts or into conduits that Haymon controlled. According to the complaint, disputes over access to Showtime’s books arose after Mayweather changed representatives and requested financial records; Showtime later told Mayweather’s new team some records were lost or inaccessible. The suit frames those facts as part of an “elaborate scheme of financial fraud” and seeks to unwind transfers and obtain compensatory and punitive relief.

Main Event: The complaint, filed February 3, 2026 in a California court, details specific allegations tied to major pay-per-view events, including Mayweather’s fights with Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor. It alleges Showtime made payments that should have reached Mayweather but were instead routed to Haymon-controlled accounts; the complaint quantifies the alleged misappropriation at $340 million. The filing identifies Showtime and Stephen Espinoza as defendants claiming they aided and abetted Haymon’s fiduciary breaches, while notably excluding Haymon as a named defendant — a strategic choice that may reflect jurisdictional or tactical litigation considerations. Mayweather’s suit also recounts that when new management sought financial records, Showtime told them the books were “lost in a flood” or otherwise inaccessible, a point the complaint uses to justify intrusive discovery demands.

The legal claims include conversion (wrongful exercise of control over property), unjust enrichment (retention of a benefit without legal basis), civil conspiracy to commit fraud, and aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty. Mayweather’s team is requesting recovery of the $340 million plus unspecified punitive damages intended to punish and deter. The filing seeks detailed financial accounting and, implicitly, the power to subpoena bank records, corporate books, and related correspondence to trace payments. The complaint ties the alleged scheme to the mechanics of how broadcasters, promoters, and managers settled fight revenues in high-value bout deals.

Procedurally, the case can be expected to produce early motions over venue, scope of discovery, and whether the complaint sufficiently pleads Showtime’s knowledge or intent. Mayweather’s counsel framed the litigation as a continuation of his client’s decades-long fight for his contractual and financial rights, signaling an aggressive discovery phase aimed at producing documentary proof of the alleged transfers. The public nature of the parties and the high dollar figures make settlement a realistic eventuality, but the plaintiff’s demand for punitive damages and public accounting suggests Mayweather’s team seeks both remediation and reputational accountability.

Analysis & Implications: Legally, Mayweather must show that Showtime and Espinoza knowingly participated in or substantially assisted Haymon’s alleged breaches; aiding-and-abetting claims typically require proof of knowledge and active participation. Showroom-style broadcasters maintain complex payment workflows; proving intent or deliberate concealment will hinge on documentary trails, emails, and witness testimony that demonstrate awareness of how accounts were structured. If Mayweather secures convincing bank traces and correspondence showing payments were routed to Haymon-controlled entities, the case could deliver significant damages and prompt industry-wide scrutiny of how broadcasters pay promoters and managers.

For Showtime, exposure includes direct liability for damages and reputational harm that could affect rights negotiations for live sports content, especially boxing. Networks often push back against expanded discovery into commercial agreements; Showtime could argue payments were lawful transfers to third-party business partners and deny any intent to defraud. The decision not to name Haymon may lead to separate litigation or complicate evidentiary strategies if Haymon declines to cooperate, requiring subpoenas or third-party discovery across jurisdictions.

The dispute also raises broader governance questions for boxing: centralized recordkeeping, clearer contractual accounting standards, and more transparent distribution of pay-per-view and sponsorship proceeds. Other fighters who worked under similar arrangements may watch this case closely as a bellwether for claims about undisclosed fees or redirected payments. Finally, the business impact depends on whether the court orders extensive disclosure and whether damages are ultimately trebled or otherwise enhanced by punitive awards; either outcome could change how networks and managers structure future deals.

The table above frames the principal numeric assertions in the complaint. Contextually, $340 million would represent a substantial, but not majority, portion of more than $1 billion in career earnings, and the litigation seeks both compensatory recovery and punitive relief.

Reactions & Quotes:

“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.”

Bobby Samini, Attorney for Floyd Mayweather

The statement from Mayweather’s attorney frames the case as a financial recovery claim and emphasizes Mayweather’s value to broadcasters. The complaint itself uses stronger legal language to describe the alleged scheme.

“[A] long-running and elaborate scheme of financial fraud”

Complaint filed February 3, 2026

That phrase is drawn from the filing and summarizes the gravamen of Mayweather’s allegations; legal outcomes will depend on whether the plaintiff can substantiate the phrase with documentary evidence during discovery.

Unconfirmed:

• Whether Showtime executives knowingly intended to divert money to Haymon-controlled accounts is contested in the complaint and has not been independently verified by the court.
• The exact documentary trail linking specific fight payments to Haymon-controlled accounts has not been publicly released; the complaint alleges the transfers but supporting bank records have not been published.
• The motivations for excluding Al Haymon as a named defendant are not detailed in the filing and could reflect strategic or jurisdictional choices rather than a determination about culpability.

Bottom Line: This lawsuit thrusts longstanding industry practices around management, promotion, and broadcaster payments into a public courtroom. If Mayweather proves that Showtime and Espinoza knowingly aided in diverting $340 million, the case could force greater transparency in boxing’s revenue flows and expose networks to increased liability and discovery risk. Expect aggressive discovery requests for bank records, emails, and contracts; potential settlement discussions; and careful legal fights over whether the allegations meet the standards for aiding-and-abetting liability.

Observers should watch for early dispositive motions, contested discovery battles, and whether other fighters or business partners file related claims or join the litigation. Regardless of outcome, the suit highlights structural accountability issues in boxing’s business model and could prompt contract reforms between fighters, managers, promoters, and broadcasters.

Sources:

• TMZ — Media report summarizing the February 3, 2026 court filing and attorney comments (news outlet).