With less than three weeks separating him from a ring return, Floyd Mayweather now faces development that could overshadow his second chapter as a professional boxer. Four months after filing a $340 million lawsuit against former network partner Showtime for alleged misappropriation of funds, the undefeated former champion now finds himself confronting the uncomfortable reality of the defendant striking back at the plaintiff.

“Showtime has filed a motion for default judgment against Mayweather Promotions LLC in regard to their cross-claim against Floyd Mayweather’s $340M California lawsuit,” read the tweet from combat sports account Fight Opinion.

Showtime’s counterclaim against Floyd Mayweather follows his allegations that the network and its then-sports president Stephen Espinoza were involved in rerouting earnings from several of his fights, including the blockbuster matchups against Manny Pacquiao and later Conor McGregor, into a hidden account managed by his former manager.

While the fights against Canelo Alvarez, Manny Pacquiao, and Conor McGregor repeatedly shattered pay-per-view records, generating more than a billion dollars in revenue combined, Mayweather’s own purses also reached mammoth heights, ranging from the reported $80 million he earned from the Canelo fight to the estimated $250 million and $275 million paydays from the Pacquiao and McGregor bouts.

The post also featured court documents containing the counterclaim filed by Showtime at the District Court in California. The network’s primary argument is that if Floyd Mayweather was not paid properly, then responsibility lies with his promotions company, Mayweather Promotions, and not Showtime itself.

Broadly speaking, Showtime Networks says its contracts clearly stated that Mayweather Promotions was responsible for paying fighters and providing proper payment instructions.

“MP LLC is the designated promoter and party to individual distribution agreements applicable to Mayweather’s fights under the Agreement. In those distribution agreements, MP LLC agreed to and did provide instructions to
Showtime for payment of the event promoter’s share of the proceeds and agreed to engage and pay all fighters participating in the event, including Mayweather,” its 10th clause under the heading First Cross-Claim (Contractual Indemnification) read.

“MP LLC owed Showtime a duty of good faith and fair dealing, which required, among other things, that it ensured Showtime received proper instructions for payment of the promoter’s share of proceeds; ensured that it or another designated promoter paid Mayweather all sums owed for the fights; and that Mayweather (currently an officer of MP), would solely look to the MP or another designated promoter for payment and specifically not Showtime,” it added further under clause 16.

According to Showtime, it already paid all required money to Mayweather Promotions under the agreed distribution deals. The network further argues that if Mayweather’s allegations are true, then his own company breached its contractual duties.

Showtime also says the contracts required Mayweather to seek payment from the promoter rather than from Showtime directly. As a result, the network wants Mayweather Promotions to reimburse all legal fees, defense costs, and any damages that may arise from the lawsuit. The filing also includes alternative legal arguments saying that even if the contract language is unclear, fairness still requires Mayweather Promotions to protect Showtime financially.

The filing concluded with Showtime demanding a jury trial rather than a judge deciding the case.

Counterpunch to Floyd Mayweather’s Showtime lawsuit

Against this backdrop, one of the defendants, Stephen Espinoza, had already addressed Team Mayweather’s allegations. Speaking on Compas On The Beat podcast, he denied any wrongdoing, saying, “I’m proud of my reputation. It’s one of integrity… and I’ve never done anything to hurt a fighter and shortchange a fighter. I’m definitely disappointed and surprised, and I haven’t spoken to Floyd about it, and it’s a mystery in many ways. The lawsuit will take care of itself.”

While Mayweather’s lawsuit described it as a 15+ year “elaborate scheme of financial fraud,” Espinoza’s reaction may also stem from the fact that the court battle arrived nearly 9 years after Mayweather retired from professional boxing and three years after Espinoza’s own departure from Showtime.

Meanwhile, Showtime’s parent company, Paramount, had stated, “These baseless claims lack legal or factual merit. We strongly reject them and will respond accordingly through the court process.”

In that context, Showtime’s latest move comes at a time when Mayweather is already dealing with a string of legal challenges, including cases involving former business partners. The $175 million lawsuit against his former investment manager and real estate advisor in a New York State court is the most recent example.

For fight fans, Mayweather’s legal troubles arrive just as he prepares to begin another phase of his storied career. Three months after the Mike Zambidis exhibition in Athens, Mayweather will step back into the ring for the first time since the Conor McGregor fight, facing Manny Pacquiao in a Las Vegas rematch.

How these lawsuits are going to impact those fights remains a major concern among fans.