Boxxer promoter Ben Shalom has criticised Zuffa Boxing’s business practices, suggesting possible litigation.
Shalom Accuses Zuffa of Disruptive Behaviour
Ben Shalom says Zuffa has been extremely disruptive. Shalom claims Zuffa recently took fighter Sam Hickey from him, alleging Hickey was under contract. He says he is not willing to simply accept Zuffa’s actions and questions their ethics.
Shalom said, “I think they see me and they think ‘oh, he’s a nice guy, he’s not going to do anything.’ You can’t just go in and ignore that fighters are under contract and being paid by another promoter. Look, I know where in the world of Trump and in the world of this and the world of that, but there’s still some sort of business practice.
Allegations of Contractual Disregard
Shalom says, “I don’t actually know what’s going on. You can’t just ignore things. They ignored that Conor Benn had a matching right, in my opinion. They ignored that we had a matching right on Chris Billam-Smith completely — not just a matching right but an exclusive negotiation period. They’re ignoring that other fighters on that fight are actually completely under contract. What are you supposed to do? It’s crazy, to be honest.
“Thankfully we live in a country where you can’t do those types of things.”
According to Shalom, “They will go with anyone with a pulse.”
Shalom’s Concern for British Boxing
“I don’t really understand what they’re saying at Zuffa or TKO or whatever…My concern is American conglomerates deciding or wanting to decide or wanting to disrupt how the sport is run in this country. This is the place that boxing’s probably the most popular in the world at the moment in terms of the big fights and the big nights and the consistency. And it’s always been British promoters that care about the sport…I can’t keep up [with Zuffa]. One minute there’s no titles, then they’re suing a governing body — it’s just disruptive.
“The IBF are probably the most honorable governing body there is and it’s just like — we know what [Zuffa] are trying to do but it’s confusing.”
Shalom’s comments suggest a growing tension between British boxing promoters and American conglomerates like Zuffa, particularly regarding business practices and the handling of fighter contracts.