Floyd Mayweather in $157 million lawsuit ahead of Logan Paul fight
Undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather is reportedly suing events company PAC Enterainment Worldwide to the tune of AUD $157 million, due to a breach of contract around the upcoming fight against Youtuber, Logan Paul.
The 44-year-old American is coming out of retirement to fight the social media star-turned boxer, with the original venue slated to be in Dubai.
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According to a report from TMZ Sports, Mayweather Promotions has filed a lawsuit against PAC after the Dubai location fell through, with the fight now set for Miami's Hard Rock Stadium.
The report claims Mayweather's agreed to a partnership with PAC in the understanding that the events company had “numerous business contacts in Dubai” and “the financial wherewithal and capability to host a fight of this magnitude.”
Mayweather's team was reportedly promised a series of payments totalling $141m in the lead-up to the fight, with the first $38m chunk due to be paid to him on March 25.
The boxing great's team claims the first payment never arrived and that PAC also breached contract by failing to deliver on the Dubai venue.
Representatives for Mayweather claim in the lawsuit that any breach could not only see the boxer's team back out of the original deal - as evidenced by the Miami venue change - but also be entitled to the full $141m promised to them.
Mayweather is set to fight Paul on June 6 in Miami in a bout that's expected to be a rousing pay-per-view success and net their pair a small fortune.
The 44-year-old boxer's last two fights saw him pocket more than $380 million, with the 2017 win over UFC legend Conor McGregor netting Mayweather around $373m.
He also reportedly took home around $9 million for an infamous New Year's Eve exhibition bout against Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in 2018.
Mayweather won via a first round stoppage after knocking Nasukawa down three times inside the first round.
The American's preparations for the fight against Paul saw the boxer reportedly kick his fiancee out of their $11 million mansion, so he can focus on the job at hand.
The 44-year-old boxer proposed to former stripper Anna Monroe, 29, earlier this year.
“Floyd asked Anna to move out because he wants to focus on his boxing as he prepares for his next fights,” a source told The Sun.
“Some of her friends think it’s strange because he lives in a huge mansion in Vegas with 11 bedrooms and two guest houses — so there’s more than enough room for him to have his own space, but Floyd wanted her to go so he could focus."
Mayweather had a 50-0 record with 27 knockouts during a career in which he won world titles in five weight divisions over three decades.
Among the opponents he beat were Canelo Alvarez, Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya before retiring in 2015, though he stopped mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor in 2017.
In the 26-year-old Paul, Mayweather will face a star created on the internet.
Followed by more than 20 million on YouTube, Paul began boxing in 2019 with a six-round bout against fellow YouTube star KSI.
A former high school wrestler, Paul will have a six-inch height advantage over Mayweather, but obviously gives away plenty in ring experience and mastery.
"Logan Paul is huge on YouTube and he has a huge following. He's a big guy, strong guy," Mayweather said.
"It's just fun. It's entertaining. It's all about entertainment and, of course, when he's on social media, he's entertaining to people all the time."
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