Joe Calzaghe has won the latest round in his long running battle with Frank Warren over the amount of almost £2 million owed to Calzaghe by the promoter from his victory over American legend Bernard Hopkins.
After a bitterly fought High Court trial almost a year ago, Frank Warren’s company Sports Network was ordered to pay Calzaghe £1.83 million pounds in fees, plus interest of £80,000 and legal costs. On the eve of the payment deadline in April 2009, and despite his personal word given in court that “Joe will be paid what he is owed”, Warren called in administrators to Sports Network.
Calzaghe is now suing Warren personally for the money owed by Sports Network, alleging that Warren conspired with the company to use unlawful means (by running the company’s business down) to ensure that Calzaghe would not be paid. Warren denies the allegation.
The action has been delayed while Warren attempted to re-run arguments put forward by Sports Network (and dismissed by the Judge) in the trial last year. Calzaghe brought matters to a head at a hearing last week before Mr Justice Jack in the High Court.
One of the main issues which Mr Justice Jack had to decide was whether Warren’s evidence given to the Court at the previous trial in which he alleged an oral agreement for future fights with Calzaghe (which, if right, would have wiped out Calzaghe’s claim), was found by the Judge to have been dishonest and whether Calzaghe can rely on that finding in his claim against Warren.
Giving his decision on the issue, Judge Jack last week decided against Warren, and commented as follows:
“...it was implicit in [the trial Judge’s] decision that Mr Warren and his witness, Mr Simon, had lied in their evidence that there had been such a meeting and agreement.” [see para 17 of the Judgment of Jack J]
Judge Jack also last week set a tight timetable to bring the claim against Warren to trial, with a hearing expected to take place on the first available date after 30 June this year.
Joe Calzaghe, who won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 2007 and was awarded both a CBE and a MBE for his services to boxing and to charity, said today:
“Warren lied on oath to try to avoid his company having to pay me what I was due. He then put the company under. I believe he has to be held personally to account for what has happened, and I will pursue him until he pays up.
“I put everything on the line in the ring against Hopkins, and am determined not to let anyone do me out of the money I earned in it for my family.”