Boxer making his MMA debut? Not on Don King's watch!
by Zak Woods on May 11, 2010 2:46 PM EDT
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Don King has decided to take legal action to stop Shine Fights from putting on the Ricard Mayorga-Din Thomas grappling class fight:
In a copy of Mayorga's promotional agreement provided by DKP with its motions, the contract states the promotion has "sole and exclusive rights to secure and arrange all professional boxing bouts" for Mayorga.
DKP issued the Florida-based Shine Fights two cease and desist letters on April 20 and April 27, demanding it remove Mayorga and any mention of the boxer from both its May 15 roster and related advertising. Shine Fights CEO Devon Price responded last Wednesday that the bout would proceed as planned.
"Shine Fights has a valid and exclusive promotional contract with Ricardo Mayorga for mixed martial arts," Price said in a prepared statement.However, in its April 27 letter to Shine, DKP states that Mayorga's proposed MMA bout includes the discipline of boxing, of which it believes it has the exclusive rights to promote the fighter.
"We assert our exclusive promotional rights over Ricardo Mayorga in any sport having to do with boxing," read the letter.
All jokes about Don King's hair and choice of female companionship aside, this legal dispute has the potential to establish legal precedent regarding the differences of boxing and mixed martial arts. While that might seem obvious to anyone who reads this site, history is filled of examples of creating legal definitions of things we take for granted.
Take for instance the recent court ruling that companies cannot own pattens on human genes (HOLY SHIT! WHOSE STUPID IDEA WAS TO LET THAT HAPPEN TO BEGIN WITH?).
Of course MMA isn't as serious an issues as genetic law but the potential have a legal ruling to establish MMA as its own unique sport wholly separate from boxing is pretty cool.
Then again, there could be some interesting legal fallout. If the judge rules that the sports are separate and that non-exclusive rights from one don't apply to the other then we could see some prominent MMA fighter try to get a boxing bout. Who could that possibly be? Hmm... isn't there this Silva guy who really wants to fight Roy Jones Jr.?
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Someone made this point on bloodyelbow but it's a great on
To set the precedent that Boxer’s with promotional contracts within Boxing cannot fight outside that sport without their promoters written consent would be like an Olympic Sprinter with a promotional contract for Track and Field being told he can’t play football because that sport includes running.
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It’d open up MMA promoters to stop fighters from competing in grappling tournaments for sure. I doubt that it would happen, I don’t see UFC telling Damian Maia he can’t compete in the Mundials or ADCC or Strikeforce saying the same to Roger Gracie or Jacare but it definitely would set that ruling.
The only part of this suit that isn’t frivilous is that if Mayorga is injuried/suspended, it would prevent him from taking his fight in August.
This is an obvious money grab but the reality is this, James Toney’s promoter spoker with the UFC about the fight, it’s obvious Shine did not.
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by Matthew Roth on May 11, 2010 3:15 PM EDT up reply actions
DKP would have a case if Mayorga's contract read;
That he cannot fight outside of a DKP event. Im sure that in the end Shine will win. I really like the idea of MMA being a seperate sport. This may not sound like a big revelation on the surface, but, if a court rules in favor of Shine on this, it sets a precedent. This precedent can lead to more boxers fighting MMA. I have a gut feeling, boxers a tired of hearing about how they arent as tough as an MMA fighter. DKP is corrupt and using this for their own promotion. Good luck Shine. Then, good luck Din Thomas.
If Russia attacked Turkey from the rear, Do you think Greece would help?
Contract
This decision has little to do with whether the UFC may prevent its fighters from engaging in sports outside of MMA. It all depends on what the language of the contract states. It’s extremely difficult to make a determination about the likely outcome of this case without an examination of the particular language of the contract in its full context.
However, judging from the quoted language, “sole and exclusive rights to secure and arrange all professional boxing bouts,” I fail to see how that contract would preclude Mayorga from competing in MMA. Perhaps that language has a different meaning within the full context of the contract, judging purely based upon the quoted language, I don’t see how DK can win.
Is it me or is that one picture just a microcosm for everything that is wrong with America today?
by Steve W on May 11, 2010 11:31 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
All its missing is a KFC doubledown
"Donuts don't wear alligator shoes" - Black Dynamite
by Greenbeard on May 12, 2010 8:30 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
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