Velveteen Dream isn’t waiting for the opening bell to go after Ryan Pownall—because the former WWE star now claims his boxing opponent is being dragged into court.
Dream, whose real name is Patrick Clark Jr., shared a blistering Instagram post ahead of their August 29, 2026 fight. The graphic declared that Pownall is facing a defamation lawsuit over comments he made about Clark.
“Ryan Pownall is being sued for defamation of character for making false claims about his boxing opponent.”
The post claimed Pownall repeated accusations against Clark that had already been proven false. It then flipped the attack by leveling several serious accusations against Pownall involving young women and former girlfriends. However, Dream didn’t include any receipts. There was no court filing, case number, attorney statement or other documentation showing that a lawsuit has actually been filed.
The legal threat dropped after Dream and Pownall’s pre-fight press conference went completely off the rails. Pownall mocked Clark’s career slide from wrestling inside major WWE arenas to fighting in “food courts at the mall”—and Dream exploded.
Security blocked Dream from reaching Pownall and dragged him away, but he returned carrying what appeared to be a metal pole. Dream was removed again before storming back and knocking over parts of the stage.
Dream and Pownall are scheduled to settle their fight inside the ring at Duel Arena 1 in Orlando’s Kia Center. The cruiserweight bout is part of the August 29 card headlined by Mike Perry vs. Dillon Danis.
The big question is whether Dream’s lawsuit claim is legitimate or simply another wild piece of promotion. Clark knows exactly how to sell a fight, and the post arrived at the perfect time to put even more attention on his boxing debut. Until court documents surface, all Dream has provided is an Instagram declaration. Whether Pownall ends up fighting Clark in a courtroom after facing him in the ring remains to be seen.
Do you think Velveteen Dream’s lawsuit claim is real, or is the former WWE star working everyone before the fight? Leave your feedback and let us know in the comments.
