The Combat Sport that Cannot Slip its Own Punches (Part 1 of 2)

In What Should Be a Year of Celebration for Professional Boxing, There is Instead Endless Legal and Regulatory Scrutiny of Many of Its Biggest Developments.

A few months ago, 2015 looked as if it would be a watershed year for professional boxing in the United States. Undefeated heavyweight contender Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder won a portion of the heavyweight championship and emerged as the first serious American threat in a long time to fellow champion Wladimir Klitschko. Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Jr. and Manny “Pac …

April 30, 2015 Boxing / Litigation

Keeping the Combat Out of Court: Why Bar and Restaurant Owners Should Be Careful Showing Mayweather v. Pacquaio

This Saturday, May 2nd, hundreds of millions of viewers are expected to tune in to what is being titled the “Fight of the Century.” Floyd “Money” Mayweather brings his 47-0 professional record to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas for the long-awaited fight against eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao.

Fans have been calling for this bout since 2009. With six years of hype and several failed negotiations preceding it, the match is expected to pulverize previous pay-per-view records and become the highest grossing fight in …

April 7, 2015 Boxing / Copyright

MGM “Knocks Out” Raging Bull Lawsuit with Settlement

Last year, we reported that the U.S. Supreme Court revived a longstanding copyright infringement lawsuit over the 1980 hit movie “Raging Bull.” The suit was initially brought in 2009 when Paula Petrella, the daughter of Frank Petrella, alleged that MGM and 20^th Century Fox (“MGM”) infringed on her father’s copyrights in a number of works written about the life of boxer Jake LaMotta.

Paula first became aware of her right to sue in the early 90’s based on a Supreme Court case related to …

February 1, 2015 Boxing / Doping

Punches After the Bell

No “Silva” Lining for Diaz as Both Fail Drug Tests: The return of UFC mainstay Anderson (The Spider) Silva took an unfortunate turn following his January 31, 2015 decision victory over Nick Diaz when it was revealed that he tested positive for Drostanolone and Androstane metabolites in a pre-fight drug test. Unfortunately for Diaz, the positive test will likely be of little benefit to him, as he himself tested positive for marijuana following a post-fight examination. The double positive, following an exceptionally high profile …

January 23, 2015 Boxing

Middleweight Champion’s Unraveling “Taylor” Made for an Evaluation of Boxing’s Legal Vagaries

This past week, 2000 U.S. Olympic bronze medalist and two-time middleweight champion Jermain (Bad Intentions) Taylor, who was once expected to usher in a new era in the middleweight division following back-to-back decision wins over long-reigning champion Bernard (The Executioner) Hopkins, was arrested for the second time in six months on gun-related charges. In late August 2014, Taylor was arrested in connection with shooting his cousin and subsequently indicted on related felony charges. His second arrest came at a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade …

November 26, 2014 Boxing / Contract

Punches After the Bell

Pacquiao’s Hoops Debut Highlights a Possible Grey Area as to Contractual Prohibitions on Dangerous Activities: Usually known for making headlines as one of the best professional boxers on the planet, Manny (Pac Man) Pacquiao instead made headlines after making his professional basketball debut a month before his November 23, 2014 decision victory of Chris Algieri for the WBO Welterweight Title. On October 20, 2014, Pacquiao started for the KIA Sorrento team of the Philippine Basketball Association, but only played for seven minutes before sitting …

October 26, 2014 Boxing / Doping

Punches After the Bell

Ortiz Knocks Himself Out of First Round Knock Out Win: Undefeated heavyweight contender Luis (King Kong) Ortiz appeared to have served notice of his arrival on the world stage back on September 11, 2014 with a first-round knockout of Lateef Kayode. The win earned him the WBC’s Interim Heavyweight Championship. In December, however, the Nevada State Athletic Commission sustained Ortiz for 8 months from the date of fight, changed the win to a “no contest,” fined him 10 percent of his purse, and compelled …

September 26, 2012 Boxing / Litigation

Pacquiao v. Mayweather Lawsuit Update – Round 2

Just a week after being ordered by the Court to pay $114,000 in legal fees for failing to appear at a deposition, it appears that Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has reached a settlement with Manny Pacquiao. A pretrial agreement noted that the boxers are in the process of settling the defamation case brought by Pacquiao in December 2009. Pacquiao filed suit alleging that Mayweather accusing him of using performance-enhancing drugs.

The terms of the settlement are confidential. However, a statement released on behalf of the Mayweathers …

September 22, 2012 Boxing

Pacquiao Wins Round Against Mayweather in District Court

On September 19, 2012, U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks ordered Floyd Mayweather to pay $113,518.50 in attorneys’ fees and costs as a result of refusing to show up for a deposition in a suit filed against him by fellow boxer Manny Pacquiao. The underlying action is one for defamation – alleging that Mayweather told multiple parties, including reporters, that Pacquiao uses performance enhancing drugs.

Mayweather insisted that he missed the deposition last fall because he had been too busy training. However, investigators “obtained photos of …