WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has reportedly severed ties with his negotiator Daniel Kinahan after the Irishman’s alleged criminal history became the source of international headlines in recent weeks.
Kinahan, who was named in the Irish court system as the de facto leader of an international criminal empire with assets in the region of €1 billion, was name-checked by Fury in an Instagram video as being crucial to the talks in arranging two blockbuster showdowns between he and Anthony Joshua next year.
However, what appeared to be intended as Kinahan’s coronation as a major power-broker in the world of top level boxing backfired as dozens of publications – first in his native Ireland and then further afield – printed details of the Dubliner’s alleged extensive links to organized crime and a feud in the Irish capital which has claimed at least 18 lives.
Reports emerging on Wednesday suggest that the noise became too much to bear for Fury and his advisers and that he has been removed from the champion’s inner circle after more than three years of being among Fury’s most trusted allies.
Bob Arum and Top Rank will reportedly take over Fury’s negotiations for future fights.
This comes just days after Kinahan’s alleged criminal links caused KHK, a group led by a Bahraini prince, to also ditch Kinahan just weeks after announcing his employment by way of an effusive press release. The group cited their “integrity and deep-rooted principles in the sports industry” as part of the reason for discontinuing their relationship with Kinahan.
“Over the weekend I’ve had a lot of conversations with Tyson Fury and what we both decided is that myself, Top Rank and Fury will do all negotiations for fights in the future,” Bob Arum said.
“Whether it’s for Joshua or Wilder or anybody else. We’ve informed Eddie Hearn about that. He knows where to go for the negotiations. Tyson and I have had long negotiations about it. That’s the way it’s going to be.
“This will eliminate a lot of confusion. We’ve talked with Dan [Kinahan], who Tyson and I both love and admire and respect, and he understands that it’s best the negotiations on Tyson’s side be handled that way.
“Both Tyson and I have each discussed this with Dan and he is amenable and satisfied and wished us luck. He only wants the best for Tyson Fury.”
After the backlash about Kinahan’s involvement with Fury several weeks ago, the Irish government contacted authorities in the UAE, where Kinahan lives, to brief them about his alleged criminal history.
“Daniel Kinahan cannot continue to use boxing as a tool to rehabilitate his image and whitewash his very sinister criminal pasts as per the ruling of our special criminal court,” said Neale Richmond of Irish political party Fine Gael.
“We have seen our brave journalists lead the charge in exposing Daniel Kinahan for who he is, there is much more work to be done though.”
