Rapper and entrepreneur 50 Cent didn’t let a major legal development in boxing go by without weighing in this week, turning the spotlight on longtime figure Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the undefeated boxing great pursues a massive lawsuit against Showtime and its former top executive.
Mayweather‘s lawsuit, filed in California, claims the network misdirected hundreds of millions of dollars he earned during his career, including significant sums tied to blockbuster fights such as those against Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor.
The suit alleges the money was improperly funneled into bank accounts controlled by Mayweather‘s former advisor, Al Haymon, with Showtime and exShowtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza playing “substantial participation and aid” in that alleged scheme, though Haymon himself is not named as a defendant.
As the legal battle begins in earnest, 50 Cent used Instagram to mock the boxing legend and the lawsuit’s claims, reopening an old rivalry that has flared and cooled over many years.
“Oh no don’t cry now champ they beat you out of $320 million you dumb a-,” the rapper wrote, continuing: “I told you let me read the contracts. Now lace up… Then maybe we can get Bud to beat your ass for some big money.”
The sharp commentary was typical of 50 Cent‘s combative style, but it also ties into years of backandforth between himself and Mayweather, once close friends and business partners, later public adversaries.
How old ties fuel the current rift
The two first forged a bond in the early 2000s, with 50 Cent playing a behindthescenes role in helping elevate Mayweather‘s profile during his ascent in boxing.
Their relationship would later include a joint venture, the boxing promotions company TMT Promotions, which 50 Cent helped start while Mayweather was serving a jail sentence in 2012.
The venture collapsed amid financial disagreements, with 50 Cent later alleging Mayweather reneged on commitments and failed to pay him for his work.
That falling out spiraled into personal insults and public spats on social media, including challenges about literacy and disputes over financial dealings, giving the feud a combustible mix of personal history and business grievance.
Though there have been sporadic moments suggesting reconciliation in the years since, this latest lawsuit has brought their history back into the spotlight as fans and observers on social platforms revisit old lines of conflict.
The current legal fight is strictly between Mayweather, Showtime, and Espinoza, but 50 Cent‘s comments reanimate a narrative that goes far beyond the courtroom.
Mayweather‘s legal filing, according to documents obtained by TMZ Sports, claims he is seeking to recover approximately $340 million in allegedly misappropriated earnings and is also pursuing punitive damages on top of that figure.
The lawsuit cites alleged breach of fiduciary duty, civil conspiracy to commit fraud, conversion, and unjust enrichment as central elements of the complaint.
For an athlete who has long cultivated an image as one of the most financially successful boxers in history, claiming to have generated over $1 billion in career earnings, the suit represents both a personal and financial battle over compensation he says was lost due to mismanagement and misdirection.
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