New Manager Craig Hamilton:
Irish John Duddy Wants Out Of His McLoughlin Bros. Contracts!
Michael Marley
BOXINGCONFIDENTIAL EXCLUSIVE!
11/11/2008
(Editor’s Note: Craig Hamilton phoned back to say it was Duddy manager Tony McLoughlin who pulled the plug on the Nov. 21 bout, not Duddy.)
Boxing manager, collectibles mogul and attorney Craig Hamilton has confirmed to Boxingconfidential.com exclusively that undefeated junior middleweight Irish John Duddy has asked him to help him get out of existing promotional and managerial contracts.
Duddy has a managerial deal with Tony McLaughlin and a promotional contract with Irish Ropes, a company headed by Tony’s brother, Eddie McLoughlin.
Duddy, set to fight Ronald Hearns on HBO Jan. 17, pulled out of a Nov. 21 Manhattan tuneup bout which caused promoter Cedric Kushner to cancel the entire show Tuesday.
I asked Hamilton if, should the managerial and promotional deals be set aside by the New York State Athletic Commission or a court of law, he would take over Duddy’s career.
“John called me for help,” Hamilton said. “John has not been happy with his situation. There have been material breaches of both contracts. I referred John to (attorney) Gary Freedman. I think that (hiring Hamilton) is the direction wants to be heading. John thinks it was pretty convenient that Eddie signed him to a promotional and then, three days later, put brother Tony in as manager.
“I don’t believe that the contracts of the McLoughlins will hold up under scrutiny,” Hamilton said. “They won’t hold up in front of a judge or the athletic commission.”
Hamilton said that, although his heavyweight prospect Kevin Burnett is trained by Pat Burns (who also trains Duddy), that the Miami-based trainer was not involved in pushing the Irishman to move in a new managerial and promotion direction. Duddy has been training in Miami with Burns.
“Pat Burns being the trainer here is just a coincidence,” Hamilton said.
Cuckolded promoters and managers generally don’t believe in coincidences.