Heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury has paid £1.5m ($1.75m) to settle a lawsuit with his former promoter.
The WBC king agreed to pay the seven-figure sum to Mick Hennessy, who had claimed a breach of contract.
In 2008 Fury made his professional boxing debut with Hennessy Sports. Under the guidance of the promotional outfit, Fury earned 25 heavyweight wins. The last of which came when he upset long-reigning champion Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.
After claiming several heavyweight titles against the legendary Ukrainian, Fury took an extended break from fighting as he battled drug, alcohol and mental health issues. Upon his return in 2018, the 31-year-old opted to sign with rival promoter Frank Warren.
Under Warren and Queensbury promotions, Fury took on two warm-up bouts before facing off against American power-puncher Deontay Wilder. Although the fight was technically called a draw, many fight fans believe Fury should have secured the victory via the judge’s scorecards.
‘The Gypsy King’ took the fight out of the ringside officials’ hands when the pair once again squared off last month. After seven rounds of punishment, Wilder’s corner mercifully threw in the towel to end the bout. Fury had once again established himself as the greatest heavyweight boxer on the planet.
One man who has been frustrated by Fury’s triumphant return is Hennessy, who believes the fighter was contractually obliged to continue boxing under his guidance after returning to the sport two years ago.
He first launched the legal challenge in January 2019 in the aftermath of Fury/Wilder I. The case was due to reach the courts very soon, but all parties have ultimately decided to settle their differences outside of the legal system.
According to an unnamed source, both men are happy with today’s resolution. “Both Tyson and Mick thought they were in the right. Mick brought legal action and Tyson decided it was easier to settle rather than go through a drawn-out legal battle. Both are happy they are now able to move on.”
Fury is worth £70m ($91m) per reports and is due to increase his vast wealth with a trilogy fight against Wilder before a £400m ($521m) fight with British rival Anthony Joshua. So, in the grand scheme of things this £1.5m ($1.75m) pay-out won’t hurt the heavyweight champ too much.
Should fighters be forced to honour their promotional contracts?