FLOYD MAYWEATHER’S Nigerian Nightmare is different to Jeremy Williams’ Nigerian Nightmare, but it’s a nightmare all the same. Instead of Samuel Peter and his clubbing left hook, Mayweather, according to TMZ, is having to contend with a lawsuit filed against him by Nigerian company Zinni Media, who have accused the boxer of “scamming” them.
The suit alleges that in June 2017 the company booked Mayweather for appearances in Ghana and Nigeria to the tune of $375,000, after which Mayweather provided Zinni Media with a video confirming the appearances and was then wired a $210,000 advance.
However, days before his first appearance, Mayweather decided to no-show. He offered to reschedule for December, cranking the price up to $550,000, but, despite Zinni Media accepting the offer, Mayweather once again decided not to attend.
To make matters worse, the initial advance of $210,000 still hasn’t been returned, which is why Zinni Media are now taking Mayweather to federal court in California and asking for $2 million to settle the situation.
Mayweather, named Forbes’ highest-paid athlete in June, reportedly banked $275 million for his August 2017 scam with mixed martial artist Conor McGregor, and is estimated to be worth between $700 million and $1 billion. (It’s strange, therefore, to contemplate the idea that a man who calls himself ‘Money’ might have fiddled some Nigerians for what constitutes pocket money.)
Although it was supposed to happen many years ago, in another time and place, a heavyweight fight between Tyson Fury and David Price is probably now closer than ever.
First spoken about when both were unbeaten, there was, in hindsight, too much at stake and too much risk involved for either party to come to an agreement. But now, with Fury on the comeback trail, and Price also on the comeback trail, there’s a sense their paths could be crossing at just the right – or wrong – time.
“That would definitely (Tyson Fury) interest me,” Price, 22-5 (18), told Sky Sports.
“Whether or not it’s something Tyson Fury would be interested in is another story. You’ve got to look at the risk-reward factor for Tyson Fury, which I’ve spoken to him about anyway.
“I’ve lost five times. Would he get any credit for beating me? Probably not. And there’s the chance that I could knock him out. There is that chance.
“It’s probably more interesting now than any other time because of the circumstances. He’s coming back after a long lay-off and I’m kind of on the scrap heap in a lot of people’s eyes. It would be a massive opportunity for me to upset the apple cart as a massive underdog, so I think a lot of people are interested in it for those reasons.
“I’m definitely interested in big fights like that. That’s why I’m in the game.”
Self-doubt has seemingly always been an issue where David Price is concerned. But, David, take it from me: at a time when Sefer Seferi is deemed an acceptable Tyson Fury opponent, you are not only deserving of the fight, you would represent a breath of fresh air and make everything seem okay and normal again.
