THE BOXING MANAGEMENT company that was co-founded by Daniel Kinahan has said it will not be hosting any more events in the Republic of Ireland.
MTK Global is under new management after a 2017 buyout of the company but its CEO Sandra Vaughan claimed today there have been “inaccurate and untrue articles about Daniel Kinahan’s relationship to MTK” published in the media.
Vaughan said the company will “initiate legal proceedings against all and any defamatory coverage going forward”.
Last Friday, a boxing event that was to feature MTK fighters at Citywest in Dublin was cancelled by the hotel over insurance issues.
MTK Global represents some of Ireland’s top boxing talent including Carl Frampton, Michael Conlan and Paddy Barnes and Vaughan also said today that they would not be signing any further Irish fighters “for the foreseeable future”.
MTK’s decision was delivered via a statement on its website and a video message from Vaughan in which she says MTK is seeking “fair news”.
In the message, she said:
From immediate effect, MTK Global will be boycotting all media in the Republic of Ireland and pulling out of hosting any more boxing events there for the foreseeable future.Today, legal letters will be issued on my behalf to a number of Irish media houses relating to inaccurate and untrue articles about Daniel Kinahan’s relationship to MTK and will initiate legal proceedings against all and any defamatory coverage going forward.Despite announcing MTK Global cutting ties with Mr Kinahan in February 2017 and announcing the complete management buyout by myself in October of last year, the Irish media continue to sensationalise and slander MTK Global and our boxers and I cannot and will not allow this to continue.We will not be signing any more Irish fighters while this continues but we will continue to manage our 29 Irish fighters with the understanding they will not fight in their hometown under the MTK banner for the foreseeable future.
This is a decision we have not taken lightly but we feel we have been left with no choice as the media have continued to vilify our industry and write unfair news.
I urge you to read the full statement on our website where we will now host all our news and ask that you support us in our fight for fair news.
Former professional boxer and MTK co-founder Matthew Macklin tweeted his support for the move today.
In the statement on its website, MTK Global said that none of its owners, managers or boxers “have any connection with crime”.
Prior to the 2017 buyout of the company, MTK was the host of the event that was targeted by gunmen at the Regency Hotel in February 2016 at which David Byrne was shot dead.
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