Boxing promoter brings defamation claim against YouTuber

Eddie Hearn is one of the most famous and influential boxing promotors in the world today. He has overseen the careers of household names like Anthony Joshua and Canelo Alvarez. 

The world of boxing has seen a shakeup in recent years with many influencers from YouTube and TikTok crossing over into the sport. Leading this new generation of aspiring boxers is Jake Paul who is not only 5-0 as a professional but also started his own promotions company, Most Valuable Promotions.

In early 2022, Hearn and Paul crossed paths when their respective fighters, Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, at Madison Square Gardens. Hearn’s fighter came out on top after the judges’ scorecards and Paul immediately questioned the validity of this decision. It is common in boxing for fighters, their managers and even families to dispute a loss by the judges’ scorecards. Everyone thinks they did enough to win. However, in a recent interview, Paul went one step further and accused Hearn’s promotion company, Matchroom Boxing, of paying judge Glenn Feldman, to score fights in favour of his fighters:

Paul said: “Clearly, this guy is being paid by Matchroom Boxing and that's a bold statement and an accusation that I don't take lightly, but it's just blatantly obvious. And they're not even trying to hide it.”

This is a very serious accusation of what essential could amount to a criminal offence, as paying a judge to ‘fix’ a professional boxing match could result in a promoter having their licence revoked and even investigated for fraud.

Hearn was quick to rebut the accusation and said: “I want an official apology from him and if he won’t then we’ll see what we have to do, but I’m not having our name in this business defamed and the integrity of what we do. It’s very important to us and our love for the sport by some geezer that has no idea what he’s talking about.”

That apology obviously wasn’t forthcoming as Hearn has now issued a claim for libel against Paul in the US, for more than $100 million in damages. There is a reason why the claim has been started in the USA rather than in England. In the English courts, the ceiling for damages awarded in defamation actions has not yet exceeded around £350,000.

Whether the case will ever see the inside of a court room remains to be seen. Paul seems to have no intention of apologising and during a recent interview, when asked by Hearn’s claim, he responded with: “I’m 5-0 in lawsuits, and I’m 5-0 in the ring.”

If someone has libelled you, and if your reputation has been harmed by untrue statements, we can help. We have a team of lawyers with a niche specialism in this area, who have helped settle many libel claims, and to bring others to court.

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