Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford undercard fight in jeopardy as legal action threatened
Promoter Don King is looking to prevent Michael Hunter from fighting Jarrell Miller.
The heavyweight clash was recently announced for September 11, as part of an unprecedented three-day undercard for Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford’s undisputed super middleweight showdown.
However, King, who claims to have a legally binding contract with Hunter, has issued a cease-and-desist letter to event organisers TKO Group Holdings and their financiers, SELA.
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King has a grievance with the fight as he recently won the purse bids in May to stage Kubrat Pulev vs Hunter for the lesser WBA ‘regular’ heavyweight title.
“They continue to disobey the WBA and its clear directive on the Pulev-Hunter championship fight,” said King in a press release distributed to various members of the media.
“Hunter is under contract to Don King Productions, and he’ll be fighting for a world championship.”
King won the promotional rights for the bout with a $1.1million bid.
The Hall of Famer was the sole bidder as Pulev’s promotional outfit, Epic Sports & Entertainment, refused to take part after Hunter claimed he was a free agent.
The WBA subsequently denied two appeals from Pulev’s promoter to have the fight thrown out.
Pulev vs Hunter has been slated to take place on August 23 in Florida, but the confirmation of Hunter vs Miller for three weeks after the proposed date has thrown a spanner in the works.
In light of the announcement, WBA interim champion Fabio Wardley has instructed his team to explore a shot at Pulev’s belt.
“I think the WBA said that this has to be cleared up before the end of the year, so whoever has the interim belt has to fight for the regular belt before the end of the year,” Wardley told Ring Magazine.
“So if that doesn’t happen, we have to have a word with the WBA and say, ‘Hang on, what are we doing here?’
“I’m not the one holding things up. I’ve done my job, won by knockout, so how do we get things moving?
“We are hot on that, we’re checking in and making sure things are moving properly.
“This is just boxing at the top, isn’t it? It all gets a bit stop-start and stagnant.
“Right now, my plan is to fight for that regular belt, and I’m not looking at other options.
“Sometimes you have to wait and hold your position. I’m at the point now where I don’t have to fight for the sake of fighting.
“It depends on what the WBA say, but my argument will be that I’ve done my job, I’m busy, I’m active and also ready to go now.”
