Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather’s highly anticipated exhibition bout against former kickboxing champion Mike Zambidis has been cancelled just two days before the scheduled event after a legal dispute involving a $4.5 million lawsuit. The cancellation marks another setback in Mayweather’s 2026 fight calendar, with the unbeaten boxing icon yet to step into the ring this year.
The eight-round exhibition was set to take place in Athens on Saturday but was called off after promotional company CSI Sports Events sought legal intervention, claiming Mayweather had breached an exclusive promotional agreement. The lawsuit alleges that the former world champion violated contractual obligations by agreeing to fight Zambidis before fulfilling previously agreed exhibition commitments.
According to court filings, CSI Sports Events claims it paid Mayweather $4.5 million in advance as part of exclusive agreements for future exhibition bouts involving Mike Tyson and Manny Pacquiao. The company also alleges it provided an additional $150,000 to cover medical expenses after Mayweather’s previously planned exhibition against Tyson was cancelled due to injury.
The promotion company argues that Mayweather’s decision to move forward with the Zambidis exhibition breached the exclusivity clause of the agreement and sought a temporary restraining order to prevent the event from taking place. It claimed allowing the fight to proceed would result in irreparable financial and commercial damage.
The legal battle quickly disrupted preparations for the event. Court filings stated that the ongoing litigation halted ticket sales, affected broadcast arrangements, and made it impossible for promoters to continue with the scheduled fight. Organisers reportedly invested nearly $10 million into staging the event before it was ultimately scrapped.
Frontrow Fight Series promoter Keane Anis also acknowledged the significant financial impact, stating that extensive investments had already been made before legal proceedings brought the promotion to a standstill. As a result, the entire fight card not just the Mayweather-Zambidis main event was cancelled.
The injunction remains under consideration, leaving open the possibility that the exhibition could be rescheduled if the contractual dispute is resolved. However, no new date has been announced.
The cancellation represents Mayweather’s second failed fight of 2026 after his planned exhibition with Mike Tyson was also called off. Attention now shifts to whether the undefeated boxing star can salvage his proposed blockbuster exhibitions against Tyson or Manny Pacquiao once the legal proceedings conclude.