British promoter wants a piece of Tyson fight

Grace Leong

Friday, Oct. 22, 1999 | 11:11 a.m.

British boxing promoter Frank Warren is seeking a preliminary injunction against heavyweight boxer Orlin Norris and his manager Scott Woodworth, prohibiting them from reneging on an alleged agreement to pay him a third of Norris' $1 million purse from his bout Saturday in Las Vegas with Mike Tyson.

In a Clark County District Court suit, Warren, who said he had invested substantially in promoting Norris' boxing career since 1996, alleged the defendants refused to pay him an alleged contractually entitled fee of $333,333 to be received from his bout with Tyson at the MGM Grand hotel-casino.

The suit said Norris agreed on Jan. 8 to pay Warren one third of the total purse that he receives from any contest not promoted by Warren, who also allegedly had the exclusive right to promote seven professional boxing bouts for Norris.

The suit said the Jan. 8 agreement also prohibited Norris from participating in any boxing bouts or exhibition without Warren's written consent and until their agreement is lawfully terminated. Warren alleged the agreement had not been terminated and he had not given his written consent to Saturday's fight even though he had allegedly agreed informally to negotiate the release of Norris from his contract and allow him to fight Tyson because such a fight would receive great publicity and raise Norris' stature as a professional boxer.

Warren said he was midway in negotiations with Vitali Klitschko's manager Peter Kohl for a WBO heavyweight title fight between Norris and Klitschko when Woodworth informed him of Tyson's interest in fighting Norris.

The plaintiff alleged the defendants didn't object when he allegedly made it clear to them he would not release his rights under the agreement and that he would negotiate the Norris-Tyson bout and receive the contract fee for that bout.

Warren alleged he had lost a lucrative promotional opportunity when he halted negotiations with Klitschko's promoter after he was allegedly given the impression that he would arrange the Norris-Tyson fight.

Warren said he was excluded in the bout allegedly arranged between Woodworth and Don King, and that he was allegedly informed in a letter dated Sep. 3 that the defendants consider the Jan. 8 agreement "ineffective" and do not intend to comply with its terms.

"The lawsuit by Frank Warren is totally baseless and without any judicial merit. We expect no serious legal problem in defending against this," Woodworth said.