Featherweight boxer Gonzalez sued by Golden Boy

ESPN reports that Golden Boy Promotions filed a lawsuit against boxer Jhonny Gonzalez on Friday prior to his fight on Saturday.  The complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court claims that Gonzalez’s Mexican promoter violated Golden Boy’s exclusive rights to promote his bouts.

Despite the lawsuit, it did not attempt to file an injunction from stopping Gonzalez from fighting Gary Rusell, Jr. Saturday night.  It is requesting $1 million and for equitable relief which asks the court to enforce Golden Boy’s promotional agreement which Gonzalez entered into in 2013.

The lawsuit implicates Al Haymon as conspiring with Gonzalez’s promoter, Osvaldo Kuchle’s Promociones del Pueblo, in delaying a bout with Russell (who Haymon manages) until Golden Boy was not in the picture.

Gonzalez was stopped by Russell, Jr. on Saturday.

Payout Perspective:

Although the story does not indicate a cause of action, one might expect it to be a breach of contract claim.  This is at least the second boxing lawsuit which names Al Haymon as a contributing issue in a promotional dispute.  Last year, you might recall that Sergey Kovalev’s promoter, Main Events, sued Adonis Stevenson’s management group as well as the boxer.  That lawsuit was settled essentially with Bernard Hopkins stepping up to fight Kovalev.  Here, we may have a similar (not the same) situation.  Obviously, the timing of the lawsuit probably precluded an injunction, although it would have been interesting.  But we will see what happens next.