Mayweather Zambidis Bout Canceled as CSI Lawsuit Halts Card
Floyd Mayweather’s (50-0) planned exhibition against Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis, scheduled for Saturday, June 27 at the Telekom Center in Athens, has been called off after a breach of contract lawsuit and injunction request from events company CSI Sports Events. The cancellation was confirmed through federal court filings two days before the event.
In a letter to Judge Vernon Broderick of the Southern District of New York, Mayweather’s attorney, Melissa Glass, wrote that the matchup could not move forward while the case remained unresolved. “Because Plaintiffs’ Motion remains pending without a ruling, the Mayweather-Zambidis event will no longer proceed in Athens, Greece, as planned on Saturday evening,” Glass stated. She added that the legal threats had stopped promotion and distribution plans and halted ticket sales, according to court documents reported by ESPN.
CSI Sports sued Mayweather in the Southern District of New York, seeking to recover at least $4.65 million it says it advanced him for exclusive rights to promote an exhibition against Mike Tyson and a professional rematch with Manny Pacquiao. The company argued that staging the Zambidis exhibition through a separate promoter breached those agreements and would cause irreparable harm, and it sought a temporary restraining order to prevent Mayweather from taking any other bout before fulfilling its contract.
Mayweather addressed the situation at a press conference before the cancellation was finalized. “I’m very very upset and I’m very very angry that these people are constantly interfering,” he said. Organizers indicated the bout could be rescheduled once the court rules on the injunction.
Pacquiao Rematch Pushed to 2027
The legal dispute has also stalled the Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch, which had been set for September 19 at the Sphere in Las Vegas and announced as a Netflix broadcast. On June 25, Pacquiao’s camp confirmed the bout had been postponed indefinitely, citing “a volatile mix of federal lawsuits, scheduling overbooks, and financial gridlock completely surrounding the Mayweather camp.” The statement said the earliest the fight could now take place would be early 2027.
Veteran reporter Dan Rafael reported that the September date was off, and that a Tyson exhibition could be slotted for September if Mayweather and CSI resolve their dispute, with the Pacquiao bout moving to January. The Sphere has since booked a concert for the original September 19 date.
The two fighters have also disagreed over the nature of the rematch. Mayweather described it as an exhibition earlier this year, a characterization Pacquiao rejected. “The contract that we signed is a real fight. I wouldn’t fight [in] an exhibition,” Pacquiao said.
Broader Legal and Financial Issues
The CSI case is one of several legal matters surrounding Mayweather. He faces felony charges in Las Vegas connected to the purchase of a $200,000 watch with a bad check, with allegations that include theft and intent to defraud. The IRS filed a $7.3 million tax lien against him in March 2026 over unpaid taxes tied to 2018 and 2023.
Mayweather has also pursued litigation of his own, filing a $175 million lawsuit against former money manager Jona Rechnitz, alleging fraud involving fake investments and unauthorized financial transactions.
