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Back from the Brink of Bankruptcy, Ricky Burns Battles Back…

Ricky BurnsBy Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

Little over a year ago Scotland’s national boxing hero, Ricky Burns 39 – 5 – 1, 13 KO’s was declared bankrupt. With £228 left in his bank account and a debt owed to him in six figures you would think life was rosy. The problem was that after a bitter court battle, even the judge knew the possibility of him getting any of the money he was owed wasn’t just remote; it was never going to happen, so said the judge!

Burns has been in the ring on many occasions and at one point fought the majority of one title fight with a broken jaw but it was down to money that saw him being floored, knocked out and struggling to get himself up off the financial canvass. In the other corner? None other than his promoter and former mentor, Frank Warren.

Like most promoters, Warren is known for having a ruthless streak, with a fantastic eye for the possibilities of the future through the boxers he has within his stable. The problem for Burns was that this was a fight that he was never really going to win. Why? Because Warren had niftier legal footwork and when you face off against someone who has issued 40 writs in his time, won significant damages against Don King’s lawyer and survived a shooting where he lost half a lung, a number of ribs but survived to issue a writ another day this guy has the type of survival instincts that would have pleased Al Capone.

So who won? They did… and the lawyers…

At the end of the court case, both emerged to claim victory; for Burns it was to be a hollow claim. The court case involved a dispute over £1.8 million in lost profits which Warren claimed he was due after Burns joined Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom stable on the 11th March 11, 2013. He did so because of frustration over two postponed fights and unpaid earnings from his WBO lightweight win over Kevin Mitchell in September 2012. Warren suggested in court that Burns left him for Matchroom because Burns had been illegally approached by Eddie Hearn. The Judge found that “evidence at trial showed simply that Burns had enough of Frank Warren Promotions, [and Burns] had walked away from Frank Warren Promotions believing he was entitled to do so.”

The judge ruled Burns was not entitled to end the promotional agreement with Warren’s company and owed him commission. Burns was criticised for the manner in which he sought to walk away from his promotional agreement with Frank Warren Promotions. Burns ended up paying his own whopping £200,000 legal fees and a further £170,000 to cover Warren’s damages and costs.

The judge also ruled that Frank Warren Promotions owed Burns £102,000 in purses but said Burns was unlikely to receive anything from that company as Frank Warren Promotions was now liquidated.

The judge however ruled that Warren was not entitled to claim lost profits of £1.8 Million for Burns’ decision to leave. According to Burns’ statement after the court case, the Judge dismissed Warren’s claim as “fanciful” and said that it bore “no relation to reality”. Further to the evidence presented and according to Burns’ statement after the court case, it stated that “Frank Warren was found to have lied in Court about an alleged oral agreement relating to Burns. His evidence was described as “untruthful”, “unrealistic” and “unreliable” by the judge, Mr Justice Knowles. Warren had previously been found to have lied in his litigation with Joe Calzaghe.”

Whilst his manager, Warren had apparently got Burns to sign a side agreement (outside the rules of the British Boxing Board of Control) entitling him to a share of his management commission. It was Burns’ evidence in Court that the side agreement was produced in the dressing room before a big fight – he was required to remove his glove to sign the agreement and told if he didn’t do so he would not fight.

With his financial meltdown, Burns joined a list of Scottish professional boxers who have battled with problems outside of the ring including the former WBO featherweight champion Scott Harrison, who has faced drink battles and a string of assault charges, and himself was declared bankrupt in 2007. Harrison is currently in a Spanish jail. Former European champion welterweight Gary Jacobs was made bankrupt in 2001 and walked away from a charge of possessing ecstasy the same year.

Having managed to put the court case behind him, Ricky Burns is now about to walk onto the biggest stage of his life. Back in Glasgow on the 29th May, he shall attempt to do something that no other Scottish boxer has ever done and become a three weight world champion. Considering the battles, he has gone through to get here, it may perversely have been ideal preparation for a hardened and tough guy whose humility is legendary and his ability obvious for all to see. As he is well into his thirties he may not have many more fights left in him but the court battle and the fight with financial stress now behind him, we are all hoping for another one of those special Burns nights!

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