Promoter handed McGuigan £1,000 to get his fighters on to Frampton bill, court is told
Boxers got half of usual amount for ticket sales, claims witness
BARRY McGUIGAN was allegedly handed £1,000 in cash outside a boxing club by a parttime promoter who wanted his fighters on the bill at one of Carl Frampton’s big hometown shows, the High Court in Belfast has heard.
Mark Dunlop, who also claimed his two fighters were paid half the normal commission after selling tickets worth £22,000 for the 2013 event, told the court he was giving testimony after being contacted by Mr Frampton’s solicitor, North Belfast MP John Finucane, in the past couple of weeks.
The testimony by Mr Dunlop came on the eighth day of a legal action taken by Mr Frampton against Cyclone Promotions and Mr McGuigan.
During cross-examination, counsel for Mr McGuigan, Liam McCollum, said his client had “no memory” of any such arrangement of a £1,000 payment. He produced an email from Mr Dunlop in which he mentioned his fighters would be receiving the normal 10pc commission on ticket sales, not 5pc as he now says.
Mr Dunlop claims he remembers counting the £22,000 in cash with Mr McGuigan’s wife, Sandra, at the Europa Hotel prior to the pre-fight weigh-in.
Mr Frampton (33) is suing over the alleged non-payment of up to £6m in purse fees, broadcasting rights, ticket sales and merchandising during a four-year partnership with Cyclone Promotions that dissolved in acrimony in 2017.
A countersuit for breach of contract has been filed against the boxer. That claim involves more than £4m, it emerged at an earlier hearing.
Asked by Mr Frampton’s counsel, Gavin Millar, how he came to be in the stand, Mr Dunlop said: “Mr Finucane phoned me and asked me about the incident.”
Mr Dunlop said he was giving testimony because of a visit “a couple of weeks ago” to Monkstown Boxing Club in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim.
During the visit, with “maybe loose lips”, he told others how he “had to pay to get the guys” on the card of Mr Frampton’s match-up with Frenchman James Parodi at the Odyssey in October 2013. It was the first bout organised under Cyclone management.
He told them that he did not know what others did, “but it is not the way we normally work”. Following that visit, he received the call from Mr Finucane.
Mr Dunlop told the court that his recent visit to Monkstown was the first since before the 2013 bout. It was outside the same club that he claims to have handed over the £1,000 to Mr McGuigan.
Earlier in his testimony he explained he managed two up-and-coming fighters, James Tennyson and Daniel McShane, both of whom were invited to spar with Mr Frampton some time in 2013.
It was a “big thing”, said Mr Dunlop, as both Mr Frampton and Mr McGuigan were “heroes”.
He heard afterwards that Mr Frampton had left Eddie Hearn Matchroom Promotions and joined forces with Mr McGuigan to promote events.
The first event was to be at the Odyssey against Parodi.
“I wanted to have my fighters on the show...big, big event,” Mr Dunlop said. “I offered Mr McGuigan £1,000 to put the two boxers on.”
Asked what was his response, the witness said: “He accepted it.”
Mr McGuigan “kept his word” and the two boxers were named on the card at a press conference at the Europa Hotel.
The hearing continues.