Golden Boy Promotions has filed a motion to dismiss in the Moses Heredia lawsuit which is set to be heard on November 5th according to court filings. The filing is part of the JoJo Diaz lawsuit in which his former manager claims that MTK Global interfered with his contractual relationship with the boxer after Diaz signed a “business advisory agreement” with MTK.
Motion to Dismiss by MMA Payout
Heredia claims that GBP interfered with his relationship with JoJo Diaz as well as Luis Feliciano. GBP was Diaz’s promoter at the time and worked with MTK Global to put on fights for Diaz. On August 4, 2020, Diaz signed the advisory agreement with MTK Global and let Heredia know it was time for a change. This effectively ended the contractual relationship with Heredia as Diaz stopped communicating with him. GBP states that its relationship with Diaz did not occur until February 2021 and July 2021 when it conducted events with Diaz as a part.
In the Complaint, Heredia claims Tortious Interference with a Contract related to the Boxer-Manager relations with Feliciano. Heredia claims to have managed the undefeated 28-year old and stated that despite requests for Golden Boy Promotions not to contact his boxer, they persisted. He asserts that Golden Boy Promotions was circumventing the ‘firewall’ between boxer and promoter by directly contacting the fighter instead of working through the manager.
Instead of responding to the lawsuit, GBP has filed a Motion to Dismiss. It seeks to dismiss the allegations of contractual interference where it worked with MTK Global upon Diaz signing the business agreement as well as Feliciano in contacting him.
With respect to the claims by Heredia, GBP asserts that it was within its own legal rights to act despite “any incidental interference that arises.” Essentially, as the promoter, GBP had not breached any rules with Diaz although it worked with MTK Global, instead of Heredia, in putting on fights.
However, Heredia suggests that GBP working with MTK Global as a business advisor further asserts his claims of contractual interference on the part of MTK Global.
Payout Perspective:
We await an opposition brief from Heredia on this issue but the allegations claim that GBP worked with MTK in concert in furthering the alleged interference with a contract. GBP positions itself as a somewhat innocent bystander here. Heredia suggests there is a ‘firewall’ between manager and promoter to protect fighters. But MTK is making its way around it. Yet, MTK is a ‘business advisor’ here. Although GBP did not directly work with the manager of record for at least two of Diaz’s fights, they worked with MTK and Diaz. Should GBP have worked through Heredia or is their duty to the fighter? The Court will indirectly answer this question based on how it rules on this motion. MPO will continue to follow.
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