Sports Network Limited v. Joe Calzaghe
Statement From Promoter Frank Warren - Sports Network Limited has always paid every fighter what he was due, but in this case Joe Calzaghe demanded $4.6million (at a conversion rate equivalent to around £3.25million) which Sports Network regarded as exaggerated and fanciful. Sports Network, throughout the litigation, has always said that it would pay Joe Calzaghe but we disputed the sum he claimed (paragraph 16 of the Judgment: "The Claimant [Sports Network Limited] does not dispute that a substantial sum of money is owed by the Claimant to the Defendant [Joe Calzaghe] in respect of the bout with Mr Hopkins although it does dispute that the sum owed is as large as alleged by the Defendant"). We were right to do so and feel vindicated in defending Joe's claim which we have reduced by almost £1.5million. Our lawyers have advised Sports Network to appeal to reduce the sum even further, which it fully intends to do.
I am of course extremely disappointed that the Judge did not go further in accepting we had an agreement with Joe to promote his last fights. This is especially so as the Judge criticised Joe and his lawyer (Gareth Williams). The Judge found that Joe "chose to tell deliberate lies" to the Court (paragraph 138 of the Judgment), and that his "evidence was also unsatisfactory in many respects" (paragraph 134), finding that this "must impact, adversely, upon his credibility" (paragraph 138). The Judge also found that Gareth Williams "wished to hide" facts from the Court so as to create a "false impression" which "reflects badly" upon him (paragraph 107). He found that Gareth Williams "was prepared to advise the Defendant to provide wholly inaccurate information to Mr Warren" (paragraph 111).
