By Rick Reeno
Sometimes the “little guy” comes out with a win. According to a letter issued earlier today by Eric Kemmler, ESPN’s associate general counsel, the bout featuring Harry Joe Yorgey (21-0-1, 9KOs) will not be televised on the network’s March 7 edition of Friday Night Fights.
The beef over Yorgey began several weeks ago, when the fighter held a meeting with Artie Pelullo of Banner Promotions, and agreed to take a fight on ESPN without the consent of his manager, Jimmy Deoria. Deoria alleged that Pelullo lured his fighter into a deal with the promise of televised dates on ESPN. BoxingScene was informed that on January 18, Pelullo had indeed signed the fighter to three-year promotional contract.
Yorgey claimed, through his lawyer, that Deoria’s contract was invalid. A hearing was held on February 20 before Greg Sirb, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission. After hearing testimony from both sides, Sirb ruled that Deoria had done nothing to invalidate his contract. Sirb would later issue an official letter, dated Feb. 22, stating that Deoria’s managerial contract was in “full force and effect” until February 9, 2009.
John O’Boyle, Yorgey’s attorney, would quickly appeal Sirb’s decision, requesting another hearing before the full commission. Unfortunately for O’Boyle, the appeal date was scheduled for the later part of April. Unfortunately for ESPN, Doug Loughrey, their boxing program director, almost placed the network in the middle of the potential lawsuit.
Several weeks ago, BoxingScene obtained a copy of a letter dated January 10, sent by attorney David Berlin (counsel to Deoria) to Kemmler. In the letter, Berlin referenced a conversation which took place between him and Loughrey on January 9.
According to Berlin, he contacted Loughrey to advise him of the valid contracts that exist between his clients and Yorgey. Loughrey took it upon himself to engage Berlin by questioning the validity of Don Elbaum’s contract (Yorgey‘s advisor) and refused to pull the fighter from the show. The end result was a heated conversation with Loughrey hanging up the phone on Berlin.
Loughrey’s insistence to question the contract was a direct violation of ESPN’s company policy. Kemmler’s letter dated February 12, which he sent to all parties involved, advising everyone of the policy that Berlin alleged Loughrey to have violated.
"Further, and most pertinent to this situation, not having any judicial or regulatory authority, ESPN does not presume to resolve disputes between promoters, managers or any persons about the validity and enforcement of contractual rights. We must leave such disputes to the parties and the governmental bodies that have the power to resolve them."
ESPN, sensing a lawsuit on the horizon, made a network decision to pull the fight in order to avoid their direct involvement in such a lawsuit. Because of that decision, most expect Pelullo to either dump the fight or replace Yorgey with a backup opponent.
The pulling of Yorgey is only the icing on a much bigger cake. There are still allegations running wild within the industry over Loughrey showing favoritism to certain promoters when it comes to televised dates. These same promoters turn around and abuse those televised dates by using them to lure fighters away from their competitors.
The allegations led to a confrontation between Loughrey and Teddy Atlas, ringside analyst for ESPN's Friday Night Fights Series. According to numerous sources, on January 11, at ESPN‘s televised fight card in Florida, the two engaged in a verbal confrontation after Atlas confronted Loughrey over allegedly showing favoritism to certain promoters.
The confrontation would lead to a one-week suspension for Atlas. It also led to ESPN initiating an internal inquiry into Loughrey and the basic facts of the subject matter involved in the argument with Atlas.
“Farce” was the word most people in the industry used when describing the “investigation.” Several promoters gave detailed accounts of their alleged mistreatment by Loughrey, and allegations of favoritism were also made. The investigation was a farce because the information gathered by the lead investigator was then leaked to Loughrey, allegedly.
During phone conversations with some of the promoters who came forward, Loughrey allegedly revealed his knowledge of the conversations which took place between these particular promoters and the investigator who called them.
A few weeks ago, most promoters and industry figures would not talk about Loughrey on the record. The trend appears to have changed. Ever since well-known promoter Michael Acri went on the record about Loughrey, other promoters and industry figures have contacted BoxingScene with their own horror stories and more importantly, their desire to voice these stories on the record.
I will close this with the words of Acri, but many more will be voicing their own stories in the coming weeks.
"If this guy doesn't seem to get along with matchmakers and promoters as so many people are saying, then why does a big organization like ESPN keep him in that position despite the fact that he's not a boxing guy like Russell Peltz or Bob Yalen. I think ESPN needs to put a boxing guy or someone who likes boxing in that position," Acri said.
"If he doesn't like his job and has this attitude towards people who are presenting fights, it doesn't make any sense why ESPN should keep him instead of having a boxing guy or someone who likes boxing doing the job. I have no axe to grind against Loughrey. I’ve asked him for two dates in the last four years and he's given me one so I’m batting 500. I don’t ask for dates from ESPN's network."
