Boxing promoter Top Rank investigated

Jace Radke and Ed Koch

Friday, Jan. 9, 2004 | 11:32 a.m.

The FBI seized records and computers from the Las Vegas offices of boxing promoter Bob Arum's Top Rank Inc. on Tuesday night, authorities said Thursday.

But officials with the FBI would not comment about the nature of the sealed investigation except to say that agents are working with the New York City Police Department.

Las Vegas attorney Richard Wright, who represents Top Rank, said he had little information on the search.

"It was a sealed search warrant asking for generic records," Wright said. "The purpose and basis are not disclosed. Individuals at Top Rank have no idea what would prompt such a search."

Lee Samuels, a Top Rank spokesman, said he did not know what the focus of the investigation is, but he confirmed that agents took records from Top Rank's offices at 3980 Howard Hughes Parkway.

"We are fully cooperating with any requests made of us by the FBI and its agents to facilitate their job," Samuels said.

About two boxes of financial files from 2001 to the present were taken by agents. Samuels did not specify what files were seized and said he did not have a copy of the search warrant.

FBI spokesman Jim Stern said that the search warrant was served as part of an ongoing investigation, and that he couldn't comment further. A spokeswoman with New York Police said that the department does not comment on ongoing investigations.

Arum, who lives in Las Vegas and is Top Rank's chairman, has promoted boxing matches since 1966. Some of the fighters he has promoted include Muhammad Ali, Roberto Duran, Joe Frazier and George Foreman.

Currently Top Rank represents Floyd Mayweather Jr., Erik Morales and Oscar De La Hoya. It has a card scheduled for Feb. 28 at the MGM Grand.

A receptionist at Arum's office Thursday said the promoter was out of the country on vacation. A person answering the phone at Arum's home today said he was not expected back in town until late today. A message left on Arum's cell phone answering machine was not returned.

The 72-year-old Arum is a former Justice Department attorney who became involved in boxing in 1962 when he was assigned to help collect the proceeds of the first Sonny Liston-Floyd Patterson fight.

Arum is no stranger to controversy. In 2000, he paid a $125,000 fine to Nevada boxing authorities for bribing the International Boxing Federation to get approval of a heavyweight title fight in 1995 between then-champion George Foreman and unranked Axel Schulz.

But unlike rival promoter Don King, Arum has largely avoided being the target of legal actions, though King unsuccessfully sued him for allegedly stealing boxer Julio Cesar Chavez from him.

Arum has promoted some of boxing's biggest fights, with his last big promotion the 154-pound title fight in September between De La Hoya and Shane Mosley.

After De La Hoya lost a decision, Arum lashed out bitterly at the judges of the fight and accused Nevada boxing officials of improperly picking the judges to allow Mosley to win. Arum later apologized for his comments, saying they were "made in the heat of passion."

Marc Ratner, executive secretary of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, said today that newspaper reports that the FBI investigation might be linked to that fight being fixed "are nonsense."

"I had judges in from all over the world -- Thailand, South Africa (for that fight.) I think people are going down the wrong path with that speculation," Ratner said. "Besides, that fight was three months ago, and authorities say this has been a 20-month investigation."

Ratner said the FBI has not approached the Nevada athletic commission for information regarding Arum or any of the commission's records on him. Those records show that Arum has renewed his promoter's license for 2004 and that he is a promoter in good standing with the commission.

Ratner declined to speculate on what the FBI might be looking for, noting: "We don't know who the target of the investigation is. It might not be him (Arum)."

For instance, James Prince, brother of rapper Sir-Mix-A-Lot and chief executive officer of Rap-A-Lot Records, managed one of Arum's top fighters, Mayweather, from 2001 until late last year, which would fit the investigation's timeline.

Because street gangs have long had an influence on the rap industry, there is speculation in boxing circles that the FBI might be following the money Mayweather paid to his management team and where that money might have wound up.

Last September, while Mayweather was training at the Top Rank Gym in Las Vegas for a November lightweight bout against Philip Ndou in Grand Rapids, Mich., two men with clubs and guns walked into the gym and beat up two of Mayweather's associates, according to two of Sun boxing writer Dean Juipe's columns.

The men purportedly warned Mayweather, who at the time was standing in the ring and apparently stunned by what he saw, that if Prince did not get into line, Mayweather would be next.

Attempts to reach Prince this morning at Rap-A-Lot Records in Houston were not successful. An employee answering the phone said he was not in.

Ratner said he had heard rumors that such an incident had occurred at the gym last year, but said his office did not investigate them.

He said the commission has had no trouble with Prince in the time he served as Mayweather's manager, calling him "very respectful and quiet."

Ratner said Prince has not yet renewed his Nevada manager's license for 2004, but that is not unusual for this early in January because although all boxing licenses expire on Dec. 31 and some people do not immediately renew them.

Ratner said there is nothing in the files that would prevent the Nevada athletic commission from renewing Prince's license. The Associated Press

contributed to this report.