[ad_1]
Carl Frampton vowed not to fight for former manager Barry McGuigan again after the tax collector called home with a bill of nearly £ 400,000, the boxer told Belfast High Court on Wednesday.
The former world champion also claimed that financial arrangements left him fearing that he might end up boxing without pay at his dream venue, Windsor Park Stadium.
Frampton (33) is suing McGuigan for allegedly withholding earnings from some of his title bouts. The wrestler parted ways with Cyclone Promotions from his mentor in 2017 after eight successful years together.
Giving evidence on the second day of the multi-million dollar lawsuit, he recalled how their deteriorating relationship finally ended after learning of the tax lawsuit in July of that year. His wife Christine informed him by phone while training in London, the court heard.
At the time he was preparing to face Andrés Gutiérrez in Belfast, a fight finally canceled when the Mexican slipped and was injured in the shower.
“She [Christine] he was very angry on the phone. I was home alone with our children and someone from HMRC. [HM Revenue & Customs] I had come looking for £ 397,000 in unpaid VAT, ”he said.
Give up
The bill was said to relate to another Northern Ireland-based Cyclone company that included Mr. Frampton among its directors. According to the boxer, he resigned from the company in one day.
“At this stage, before the HMRC came to my house, I was still hopeful that we would solve the problems,” he said.
“When that happened, that was the turning point for me, and I knew I was going to have to fight Gutierrez, and I wasn’t going to fight for the McGuigans again.”
Gutierrez’s fight was originally scheduled for Windsor Park, before being moved to the SSE Arena.
Frampton, from Tiger’s Bay in Belfast, described how the training had been far from ideal, with tensions over money issues on his mind.
He said how he had wanted the contest to be held in Windsor Park.
“It’s just a dream to do it, it’s the home of Northern Ireland football and I thought we could sell it,” he said. His total fee of £ 200,000 depended on getting 12,000 people in attendance, a supposed arrangement that he described as “strange”.
Frampton said: “I started to worry then, wondering if I could really sell Windsor Park, and I was worried that I could fight and not get money for a fight.”
Previously, Frampton told the court that he was never paid as a director of the promotional company he signed with McGuigan. He also claimed that he was promised a 30 percent share of the profits made by the company.
Consulted
As evidence, Frampton claimed that he had questioned the financial arrangements with two of McGuigan’s sons, Jake and Blain.
“Both responses were very similar: ‘We do not make a profit, there is not enough money in this game, we receive a salary.’ I think Jake told me he made 30 grand a year. “
Barry McGuigan never discussed finances with him, it was alleged. “It was always difficult to talk to Barry about money issues,” he said.
McGuigan defends the action and counterclaim for alleged breach of contract. His attorney questioned the veracity of Mr. Frampton’s version of events.
On questioning, Liam McCollum QC told the boxer: “Your case is essentially the [Mr McGuigan] He stole money from you. “Mr. Frampton replied,” Yes. “
But the attorney challenged him repeatedly, pointing out that his client could have taken a higher percentage under the administrative agreement.
Rejecting the fighter’s claims that the McGuigans paid him less in purse fees, McCollum said: “The only way you knew about the money was that they told you about it.”
The hearing continues.
[ad_2]