Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing is suing Jake Paul for defamation per TMZ Sports. Hearn is suing the You-Tuber-turned boxer Paul for his claim that the promoter paid off a boxing judge.
Hearn filed the lawsuit claiming that in an interview Paul said that Hearn paid off judge Glenn Feldman in the Anthony Joshua-Oleksandr Usyk fight and in the Amanda Serrano-Katie Taylor fight. Taylor and Joshua are Matchroom Boxing fighters. Paul promotes Serrano.
“Clearly, this guy (Feldman) is getting paid money by Matchroom Boxing,” Paul said in an interview with IFL TV. Paul went on to say in the interview that it was an accusation that he “doesn’t take lightly.”
Hearn’s attorney stated that the “defamatory statements were made with malicious intent and having caused financial and reputational harm to [Hearn and Matchroom], which is precisely what [Paul] intended when he made the outlandish accusations.”
This is not the first time that a defamation case occurred in the world of boxing. In 2012,
In 2009, Manny Pacquiao sued Floyd Mayweather, Jr. for claiming that Pacquiao took performance enhancing drugs. The case eventually settled. In the world of MMA, the UFC sued Wanderlei Silva back in 2015 after Silva claimed that the UFC fixes fights. The case also was settled.
In order to prevail in a defamation case, the person filing the claim must prove that the defaming statement was communicated to a third party, the statement damaged the person/entity’s reputation, and the statement caused injury. Obviously the big examination would be whether the statement made was knowingly false and caused damage to Matchroom’s reputation. In this instance, Paul could show his statement was accurate or that he had a reason to believe it to be true. Certainly, Matchroom will claim damage to reputation because paying off judge’s is frowned upon in the sport.
We will follow this lawsuit as its clear Paul will have something to say especially with a fight coming up at the end of the month.
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