Crawford's lawsuit vs. Top Rank heads back to state court

By Scott Shaffer

30/06/2022

Crawford's lawsuit vs. Top Rank heads back to state court

WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford won a very minor legal victory over Top Rank today when a federal court in Nevada granted Crawfor's request to send the case back to state court. Crawford originally sued Top Rank in Nevada state court in January, making explosive allegations of racial discrimination. Top Rank took the case to federal court, but today, that move was reversed when remand was granted back to the original court. However, more than three months has now passed by without any actual litigation on the issues of the lawsuit, and Crawford still does not have a fight scheduled, so this is: (a) not a big story; and (b) a hollow victory for Crawford.

PRIOR BOXINGTALK COVERAGE

MARCH 2, 2022: After being sued by WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford in Nevada state court, Top Rank is trying to have the lawsuit moved to federal court. In a court filing, Top Rank made the following statement: "This is a contract case, where a boxer accuses his former promoter of not offering him enough bouts and falsely promising to land a specific fight. Yet Crawford laced a typical commercial complaint with irrelevant, salacious, and false allegations that Top Rank is racist. Crawford filed [his complaint with the court] but did not serve Top Rank or its registered agent. Nor did Crawford provide a “soft copy” to Top Rank’s General Counsel, with whom Crawford dealt with in the recent past. Instead, Crawford apparently sent the complaint to the New York Post, along with a quote about the sensational and untrue racism claims. Top Rank was not monitoring the court docket for complaints by Crawford or anyone else. Rather, Top Rank learned about Crawford’s complaint when the New York Post emailed it to Top Rank’s founder Bob Arum requesting comment. The Post published an article an hour later with an incendiary quote from Crawford’s counsel. Crawford did not serve Top Rank directly or through its registered agent of process that day, or the next, or the next. Betraying his real desire to litigate this matter in the press room, not the courtroom, Crawford waited 12 days to serve Top Rank [with the legal papers], including nine days after Top Rank removed the case to federal court."

JAN. 13, 2022: According to the New York Post, WBO welterweight champion Terence "Bud" Crawford has sured his former promoter Bob Arum and his company, Top Rank, for breach of a promotional contract. The complaint, filed in Nevada state court, also contans allegations of racial disrimination. The contract between Top Rank and Crawford expired after Crawford's recent win over Shawn Porter and Crawford is now a free agent. His lawsuit reportedly seeks $10 million in damages. Crawford accuses Arum and his company, Top Rank, as follows: “it is painfully clear that Top Rank, and especially Arum, judges people based on their race. Arum’s sordid history with athletes of color, especially Black fighters, and his bias favoring white and Latino fighters is well-documented and known throughout the boxing world.”
 
Top Rank executive Bruce Trampler was quick to come to his employer's defense, tweeting back at a Crawford fan, "the so-called Top Rank 'slave ship' paid Bud tens of millions of dollars for his fights but you’re a critic because [the ther welterweight champion, Erroll] Spence didn’t want to fight Crawford.  Bud is a multi-millionaire 'slave.'  You should be so fortunate."
 
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