The boxing world is preparing for what many call the biggest spectacle of the modern era. Yet, the man who scripted a colossal duel a decade ago refuses to fade into the background. After months of headlines focusing mainly on his wealth and lifestyle, Floyd Mayweather is once again at the center of global attention. The announcement of an exhibition bout against Mike Tyson in spring 2026 has already sparked widespread debate. But the former champion now finds himself in the news outside the ring as well. This time for a legal dispute.

Court filings in Miami suggest Floyd Mayweather‘s name has appeared in a fraud-related lawsuit. On September 6, businessman and digital artist Jayson Winer, also known as ‘Mr. Black’, filed papers in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, where he accused Mayweather and his real estate partner, Jona Rechnitz, of failing to deliver on promises of direct access to Elon Musk. According to Winer’s suit, he was assured he could reach Musk through FaceTime calls, text messages, and video chats in exchange for money and luxury items. He is now seeking a jury trial and damages. Here are three unexpected details from the suit before the case goes on trial.

The complaint was first filed in January 2025, not September

Records paint a complicated picture. According to publicly available documents dated January 30, 2025, Winer had initially filed a case in Florida’s Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court against several parties. They were First Apex Ventures LLC, Jona Rechnitz, Yitzi Frid, and Ayal Frist. The original lawsuit alleged a fraudulent marketing scheme involving the use of Elon Musk’s name to promote Winer’s digital art collection, ‘The Eyes Are Always Watching.’

The original suit made no mention of Floyd Mayweather

Notably, Mayweather’s name was absent from that filing. However, subsequent filings from early September reportedly listed him as a defendant. One portion of the court documents alleges that the defendants gave false assurances. They allegedly claimed Mayweather would leverage his ties to Musk to help Winer, while others allegedly interfered with Winer’s X account to increase his reliance on them. These details remain at the core of the plaintiff’s claims.

“Among other things, Rechnitz and Ayal made false assurances that they could get Mayweather to use his close ties with Musk and influence him, and Frid manipulated access to Plaintiff’s X account, falsely claiming it was banned to increase Plaintiff’s dependency,” read point 7 of the document.

The case has since grown more tangled.

The lawsuit takes another turn

In response to Jayson Winer’s lawsuit, three of the original defendants, namely, First Apex Ventures LLC, Jona Rechnitz, and Ayal Frist, have since reportedly filed a countersuit. Their counterclaim named Winer and Eyes LLC as defendants. This means that some of the original defendants became counter-plaintiffs. So as a result, two of the original plaintiffs have now become counter-defendants in the same suit.

At the heart of the allegations is a series of financial transactions. According to Winer, in pursuit of a promised call with Musk, he paid Mayweather’s team a total of $4 million. This reportedly included two luxury watches valued at $160,000 and $20,000 in cash. Winer further alleges that individuals identifying themselves as part of Mayweather’s security team arrived at his residence to collect the items.

The situation has been amplified by Mayweather’s public association with Musk. In the past, he has described Musk as a friend. Reports from 2023 even suggested that Mayweather helped train Musk for a potential cage fight with Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg. It’s a different matter, the contest that never took place. Regardless, despite being named in the context of the complaint, Elon Musk is neither accused nor involved in the suit.

Meanwhile, Mayweather is already in the spotlight for another reason. His decision to face 58-year-old Mike Tyson in an exhibition fight has drawn both excitement and criticism.

For now, Mayweather stands at a crossroads. In the ring, he prepares for yet another high-profile payday. Outside the ring, his legal battles may test his reputation. Boxing fans and the public at large will be watching closely as both stories unfold.

So what do you think?