Boxing promoter Frank Warren has thrown the first punch in a legal battle for libel damages.
Warren is demanding damages of more than £300,000 from the publishers of the Daily Record over a story headed, ”Crazy’ judges are forcing my boy to chuck it”.
He claims the story, which was published in March, was defamatory, and is seeking damages and an injunction banning repetition of the allegations at the centre of the story.
The story suggested that he is strongly suspected of corruptly arranging with the referee and ringside officials of the Simpson/Matthews fight that they would dishonestly fix it in Matthews’s favour, according to a High Court writ.
This contributed to the referee failing to intervene to protect Simpson from persistent dirty tricks, including head butts, punches below the belt, and the rubbing open of his bleeding wounds, the writ claims.
Warren claims that by innuendo, the story meant that he breached the rule of his governing body, the World Boxing Union, prohibiting promoters from meeting with the fight referee.
He argues that the story has gravely injured his reputation, and caused him severe embarrassment and distress.
Warren, who survived being shot some years ago, is also seeking aggravated damages, saying the paper made no attempt to contact him before publication.
And he says the paper did not remove the story from its website until April 27, despite receiving a legal letter pointing out the allegations were false on April 13.
The writ was issued by Carter-Ruck.
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