This McGuigan- Kinehan thing

Court told world title bout attracted £100,000 government grant and punters paying up to £750, but Belfast boxer's share under scrutiny

A Titanic Quarter world title fight attracted a government grant of £100,000 and a huge crowd with punters prepared to pay up to £750, but boxer Carl Frampton walked away from the win with a "small purse", the High Court heard yesterday.

Barry McGuigan and his wife Sandra negotiated directly with the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service David Sterling ahead of the September 2014 IBF super bantamweight title fight, the court heard as the Clones Cyclone endured a second day of cross-examination.

Mr McGuigan's company, Cyclone Promotions, received the £100,000 grant, while Mr Frampton's opponent Kiko Martinez pocketed more than £400,000 for the outdoor event that attracted thousands of people.

Mr Frampton received approximately £146,000, a "small purse" despite being the draw and the "reason for that huge audience", the boxer's counsel, Gavin Millar QC, suggested to Mr McGuigan.

"That was a very good purse, fighting the reigning champion, at home in his backyard," Mr McGuigan said.

Mr Frampton (33) is suing over the alleged non-payment of up to £6m in purse fees, broadcasting rights, ticket sales and merchandising during a four-year partnership that dissolved in acrimony in 2017.

A countersuit for breach of contract has been filed against the boxer by Mr McGuigan and his son Blain.

Mr McGuigan, who was provided with a magnifying glass after saying at an earlier hearing he had difficulty reading the small print on documents placed before him, was questioned by Mr Millar about ticket sales and other financial information.

VIPs including Rory McIlroy and Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody directly paid a company controlled by Mr McGuigan for tickets to Mr Frampton's two high profile fights in New York and Las Vegas, the court heard.

The money was then moved into another account linked to Cyclone Promotions, which Mr McGuigan, or family, is accused of using for personal benefit, including at an oyster bar, an antiques store and a Christmas Eve dinner at a Indian restaurant, it was claimed.

Mr McGuigan repeatedly answered questions about the company account and the sale of tickets by stating he knew little about finances.

Several times, Mr McGuigan told the court that counsel would have to ask his wife Sandra, son Blaine or his accountants about finances.

"That is not my domain," he said at one point. "I did not do finances", "accounts", or "look at those sort of things", he said during the hearing.

The court heard a Cyclone Promotions company account was allegedly used to pay restaurants, a clothes shop, antiques store and a furniture shop.

Bills paid through it were said to include:

*£250 at a department store in Canterbury
*£260 to a vet in Whitstable
*£270 at an antiques store near Canterbury
*£350 at a luxury furniture-maker in London
*£365 at Marks & Spencer in Canterbury
*£48 at a Tandoori restaurant in Canterbury on Christmas Eve

Mr Millar asked: "These are McGuigan family personal expenses being paid out of this account, aren't they?"

"It appears so, yes," Mr McGuigan replied, but added he had no knowledge of the details of the spending. The barrister suggested that using a company for personal expenses was one of the reasons Mr McGuigan was disqualified as a company director in 1996. Mr McGuigan agreed.

It is Mr Frampton's claim that he was promised a 30% share of profits to go into partnership with his ex-manager in another Northern Ireland-based Cyclone Promotions company.

But Mr McGuigan categorically rejected the allegations. "That's a joke. That's just nonsense," he said.

"The amount of money that we paid him, how could we possibly have been able to pay him 30%, that's nonsense, That's proper nonsense."

While Mr Frampton was named as a director of the company after he parted ways with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom organisation, the boxer "never once asked for accounts because he was being paid fantastic money", Mr McGuigan said.

During his evidence he stressed repeatedly that his focus was always on looking after his fighters, leaving others to deal with the financial side of the business.

However, Mr Millar claimed: "The idea was for this company to be a vehicle for McGuigan family members to earn money for themselves from the efforts of my client in the ring.

"That's why all those other family members were made directors of this company."

Mr McGuigan replied: "That's untrue, he got paid more than anybody else was willing to pay him, and handled perfectly and managed excellently to win him three world titles at different weight divisions. I don't know how I could have done a better job."

Asked why his wife Sandra, and sons Jake, Blain and Shane were made directors in the company, he said: "Because they worked their cotton socks off to make that young man a success.

"They worked exceptionally hard; long days, day after day after day, months after months to get him to where he had to be, I believed he could be, and I was right."

In negotiations ahead of receiving the £100,000 grant for the Titanic Quarter clash, Mr McGuigan represented himself as the promoter and described himself as Cyclone Promotions chief executive when signing an acceptance form, the court heard. But "we were working together as a team" and "I was the biggest name" and that was the reason "I was the one meeting government officials", said Mr McGuigan, adding that he was able to speak to Peter Robinson, the then First Minister.

Mr Millar put it to him that the negotiations surrounding the Martinez fight, with the government, television executives and others, was a "classic example" of a conflict of interest swirling around Mr McGuigan's position as both manager and promoter.

Mr Frampton received a "very small proportion" of the overall revenue generated from the event, Mr Millar suggested.

"It was not a small proportion of the income... it was a great opportunity, he won, succeeded," said Mr McGuigan.

The court heard also that Spaniard Martinez's purse of £427,845 was paid by a businessman named Christian Saunders, named earlier in court as Cyclone Promotion's main financial backer in its early days, "All the money was paid back," Mr McGuigan said.

"He gave me a substantial amount... he loved being around the fighters and did not want a big profit... he was a very wealthy guy," he said.

Mr McGuigan was questioned about the tickets sold for the boxer's various fights, including the world title bouts against Leo Santa Cruz.

Mr Millar noted, citing documents, that the number of complimentary tickets given to Cyclone was much larger than those given to Matchroom when that company was promoting the fighter. The percentage rose from 6.6% to between 12.25 and 17% in the first three Cyclone-promoted fights.

The court heard Mr McIlroy paid £1,280 into a Cyclone Promotions account for tickets for the first fight against Santa Cruz in New York in July 2016.

"He sat close to me," Mr McGuigan confirmed.

"It could be that he bought tickets for his colleagues, he had a couple of people with him, so that could have been for them.

"I would imagine Rory would have got a seat anywhere in the world for free."

But Mr Millar put it to him: "Nobody discussed with Mr Frampton charging Rory McIlroy for a ticket, did they?"

Tickets bought for the rematch with Santa Cruz in Las Vegas in January 2017 also came under scrutiny.

Mr Lightbody paid £2,000, the court heard, while television and radio presenter Colin Murray paid £750.

"Again, nobody spoke to Mr Frampton about these people being charged for tickets for his fights, did they?" counsel asked.

Mr McGuigan told him: "You go along to watch him fight, you expect them to pay for their tickets. That's the business, it has to work that way otherwise why not let everybody in for free."

He said he was sure that all of the money had been accounted for and put through the accounts.

"It was all straight and above board," he added.

The case continues.

 

Barry McGuigan says High Court claims he had Carl Frampton tied to 'slave contract' are "nonsense"

He also denied manipulating figures to declare a loss from Mr Frampton's world title contests staged in Belfast

Boxing manager Barry McGuigan today branded High Court claims that he had Carl Frampton tied to a so-called slave contact as "nonsense".

Mr McGuigan rejected allegations that the fighter was under "lock and key" at the height of his career to stop him from exploring other opportunities.

He also denied manipulating figures to declare a loss from Mr Frampton's world title contests staged in Belfast.

He insisted: "We never tried to pull the wool over Carl Frampton's eyes, ever."

The two sports stars are locked in a legal battle over the acrimonious ending of their partnership in 2017.

Mr Frampton, 33, is suing his ex-manager and Cyclone Promotions for alleged withheld earnings of up to £6m.

In a counter-suit, Mr McGuigan is claiming against the Belfast-born boxer for breach of contract.

Both men deny the respective allegations against them.

As his cross-examination continued on day twelve of the case, Mr McGuigan was pressed on an International Promotional Agreement (IPA) signed in 2015.

The court heard the deal involved the rights to Mr Frampton's fights for three years, and could potentially be extended by nearly two more years.

According to counsel for the boxer, Gavin Millar QC, a clause prohibited his client from any other promotional contracts. "It's lock and key, isn't it?" he suggested.

"You might as well have put the handcuffs on him."

Mr McGuigan insisted the arrangement provided the "flexibility" for the boxer to work with other promoters.

"He got the very best fights available to him and he got the best money," he said.

But the barrister cited a term Mr McGuigan used in his memoir about an arrangement from his own boxing days. "It is a slave contract, isn't it Mr McGuigan?" he asked.

Rejecting the characterisation, Mr McGuigan replied: "That's a nonsense comment if you look at what happened with his career.

"Look at the opportunities he had, look at the success he had and the amount of money he made, that is a ridiculous comment."

It was put to him that at that point in Mr Frampton's career, having just won a world title, he could have "tested the market" for promotional opportunities.

Again, however, Mr McGuigan described the suggestion as "ridiculous" and pointed to how he guided the boxer.

"He got the very best fights out there in the super-bantamweight division, avoided the danger men and got wonderful opportunities and made lots of money.

"I don't know how I could have handled his career better, I really don't."

He was told that it would would have been in the boxer's interests to see what other deals were on offer.

"(The IPA) copper-bottom guaranteed cast-iron rights over the rest of his career for nearly five years," Mr Millar submitted.

He suggested the boxer might have been tempted by a "bigger, better promoter", and that the manager wanted to prevent that happening.

"It worked both ways," Mr McGuigan answered.

"Obviously we gave him the best opportunity, but I'm not sitting here and saying we didn't want to be protected ourselves given the efforts we put in too."

When it was put to him that his son Blain was named promoter to avoid any questions about a potential conflict of interests, he responded: "I disagree, there was no conflict, we got him the very best opportunities and he got the best results. That's it."

Ticket sales, purse fees and sponsorship arrangements for some of the boxer's big hometown shows in Belfast also came under scrutiny.

In September 2014 Mr Frampton defeated Kiko Martinez in front of a crowd of up to 16,000 at Belfast's Titanic Quarter to take the IBF world super-bantamweight title.

The court heard tickets worth just over £1m in total were available for the fight, excluding 855 complimentary seats provided to Cyclone Promotions.

Sales at the venue were said to have been £485,000, with the company having £557,000 worth of the tickets.

Mr McGuigan repeatedly stated that he didn't deal with the financial side of the business, focusing instead on looking after his fighters in the gym.

"I'm going to have to sound like a broken record, but that was not my domain," he said.

Referring to figures given for the contest, Mr Millar said a loss of £120,000 was reported on declared income of £1.3m.

The loss was attributed to figures given for sales and expenses, and a refusal to allocate £333,000 as sponsorship, the court heard.

"You manipulated the figures to make it look like this fight was loss-making, when in fact it wasn't." the barrister said.

Mr McGuigan replied: "No, we didn't manipulate the figures, no."

When told there are no contemporaneous accounting documents for the fight, he said: "I can't help you with that, you may ask the accountants."

Up to 12 private sector businesses were involved in sponsoring the show, the court was told, but only one paid money.

"We tried very hard, we did everything we could to get sponsorship, but it's very difficult to come by these days, it's just nigh-on impossible unless you're Anthony Joshua," Mr McGuigan said.

It was then put to him: "Your evidence on this is not true, and you did receive sponsorship income, and you're just trying to keep it out of the accounting for this fight for the purposes of these proceedings." But Mr McGuigan maintained: "That is not true."

The hearing continues.

 

Carl Frampton(33) is claiming against Cyclone Promotions UK Ltd - of which Barry McGuigan was a director - for allegedly withholding purse fees, broadcasting rights, ticket sales and merchandising.

He also claims that he never received a 30% profit share promised when he became director of another, Northern Ireland-based, Cyclone company. Barry's counter-claim is for alleged breach of contract when Carl left the company in 2017.

Both men deny the allegations against them.

This week, Carl spent a total of 22 hours in the witness box facing a wide range of probing questions.

What emerged was how a friendship turned toxic and has soured irrevocably.

It had all begun so well, with Carl becoming a two-weight world champion.

Counsel for Barry put it to Carl that his manager had sacrificed big paydays for the good of the fighter by allowing other promoters to stage his title bouts in the United States.

Counsel also argued that Carl was "no little lost boy", but had a major say in his purses.

He added: "I'm suggesting you had deep and many discussions about how much you were going to get and you fully understood the way the fight game worked as well."

Carl blocked this jab - "I disagree" - and came back with some of his own.

He argued that Cyclone Promotions could not successfully promote fights in the US and that is why other promoters had been used. He also gave a hint of how the case would develop over the week.

He said his wife had a run-in with Shane McGuigan, Barry's son. "Shane was very disrespectful to my wife and I should have had her side. I think I was trying to keep both parties happy."

The following day, Barry's counsel tried to land some heavier blows. He claimed that Carl's current management company, MTK Global, had alleged links with a suspected crime boss, Daniel Kinahan, and could be seen as a front for a criminal organisation.

Carl again put up his defences: "I've heard the stories. I don't suspect anything." He added: "I don't make judgments. Do you believe everything you read in the papers?"

The court was also told that Carl had saved himself thousands of dollars by under-declaring purses for contests in America.

It was put to Carl that this amounted to false accounting, which would be classified as a criminal offence in the UK.

The court heard that, in his first world title bout against Leo Santa Cruz, Carl’s purse was $1.5m, but that only $500,000 was declared.

Carl tried to deflect the blow, saying it was a joint decision based on advice from Barry. But counsel hit back: “You were the one who wanted it brought down as much as possible, because you were the beneficiary of it. That actually saved you $300,000... you knew that signing a document saying your purse was $500,000 was a lie.”

Carl countered: “I knew that, but my team also knew that.”

The court was told that, before one fight, Carl had emailed his management team asking “could one of the lads forge my signature”, rather than post and sign the documents himself.

He told the judge: “Again, showing how trustworthy I was of the McGuigans and I was happy for them to do that.”

Later, he said that, if he had known Barry had been disqualified as a company director for a period in the 1990s, he would never have signed with him.

When he was asked if he knew his current promoter had been disqualified at around the same time, he replied “No.”

But he threw his own heavy body punch, which must have left Barry wincing: “Frank Warren has continued to put on huge boxing events for decades. He has a proven track record. If someone who (had been) disqualified as a director from a company, with no experience in managing fighters before, said, ‘I want to manage your career’, I would have said no.”

Carl’s accountant, Sean McCrory, said the boxer did not gain “a single cent” in tax savings from title bouts in the US. He told the court that his client still had to pay higher-rate income tax in the UK.

According to Carl, the final straw in his deteriorating relationship with the McGuigans came when the taxman called at his home in the summer of 2017 with a bill for nearly £400,000.

Mr McCrory said he had studied the Northern Ireland Cyclone company’s accounts, which showed accumulative losses by June 2015 of £300,000.

Two years later, after Carl was involved in two world title fights, he expected the financial situation to have improved. “They were two massive fights... those are the fights you make your money out of,” the accountant added. But he was shocked to find that the loss had increased to £500,000.

However, the most explosive evidence came on the final day (for now) of the hearing — the case has been adjourned until next month.

The manager of a gym where Carl completed his preparations for fights staged in Belfast described the atmosphere at Monkstown Boxing Club as “toxic”.

Paul Johnston said that, on previous training occasions, the boxer and his management team were a “tight unit”, but in July 2017, things had changed completely.

“There was a tangible, what I would say breakdown in the relationship. It seemed to be quite toxic.” Barry, he said was not there as often as before, while Shane, Carl’s trainer, showed little interest in the fighter.

“The camp wasn’t happy. There was definitely an air of grievance, or unhappiness, with Carl. He wasn’t a happy fighter,” Mr Johnston added.

But it was further comments that came like a punch out of the blue. Mr Johnston said Shane began talking quite negatively about Carl.

“He said that he was finished, he said that, at best, he had one more fight in him and that he didn’t really want Carl to retire, spend his money and come back, that he wasn’t going to train a bum essentially.”

Barry’s counsel tried to counter, arguing that Carl had already decided to leave the organisation and that would definitely have had an impact on his attitude.

He contended that Barry had been at the gym and had spoken to Carl on friendly terms while Carl was the one being distant.

But Mr Johnston had a different take on the situation: “I would suggest Carl shadow-boxing in a ring, sitting on a bike making weight, he was doing what he was meant to be doing as a professional fighter. I think other people, and how they treated him, was more different than what Carl was being.”

Counsel came back again: “He (Shane) accepts that he wasn’t entirely happy with the way he (Carl) was training. He thought his mind was elsewhere and he said something to you like, ‘He looks sloppy, his body has been there, but his head isn’t there’... in other words, his head wasn’t in the game.”

Mr Johnston stood his ground: “No, he said that he had one or two fights left in him and that he wasn’t going to train somebody who was a has-been essentially.”

The case resumes

 

Court hears Barry McGuigan ‘tore up’ $500,000 cheque given to Carl Frampton

Barry McGuigan tore up a $500,000 cheque given to Carl Frampton post his New York hosted victory over Leo Santa Cruz a court was told yesterday.

Counsel for Frampton made the allegations as the court case brought by the Belfast fighter continued.

Frampton’s legal team alleged a cheque for six figures was destroyed to control and hide payments from the fighter.

During another day of cross-examination, McGuigan was queried with regard to the 2016 fight Frampton won to become Ireland’s second ever two weight world champion.

As previously revealed to the court Frampton’s purse was listed as $500,000, but his actual purse was to be $1.5m.

Gavin Millar QC, for the Frampton said when addressing his clients former manager: “You were prepared to participate in an arrangement where a lower bout fee was specified… than the actual bout fee, weren’t you?”

It was a statement McGugian agreed with.

“You told the US promoter who had given him that cheque that all monies had to come through you, and you ripped the cheque up,” Millar alleged.

McGuigan denied the allegation stating: “That’s complete cobblers, that’s rubbish.

“I handed the cheque back to him and I didn’t mention anything about money going to me.”

Asked why he returned it, he added: “Because that wasn’t the true figure, he knew that, and he was going to wire the money on obviously.

“The purse wasn’t $500,000, that was just what we declared.”

Counsel for Frampton continued : “On our case, which is that you tore the cheque up, the reason that you did that was that you wanted to receive the money as Cyclone so that you could control the money.”

“That’s complete cobblers,” insisted one of two legendary Irish fighters embroiled in a legal battle.

McGuigan also denied allegations Frampton wasn’t aware of the full details of the total purse.

Counsel argued: “You were concealing the details from him, you were concealing the amounts, and you were concealing the account into which the money was paid.”

Again McGuigan was emphatic in his denial: “That’s absolute rubbish, he knew about everything, he was told about everything.”

‘The Jackal’s’ legal team also raised issues and made allegations with events surrounding the Santa Cruz rematch which took place in Las Vegas in 2017.

A sparring partner had to sleep on the floor in a hall way to make room for members of the McGuigan family when they arrived stateside it was alleged. McGuigan didn’t deny that was the case but suggested it wasn’t an uncommon occurance.

Earlier, in the day the court heard expenses of £75,000 were listed for Frampton’s world title fight against Scott Quigg in Manchester in February 2016.

The figures included a bill for just over £20,000 from the Midlands Hotel in the city and McGuigan was asked if 41 rooms were booked in the hotel.

“I have no idea, I can’t remember that far back, but it was quite a few of us there, certainly in excess of 20 of us,” responded the Monaghan native.

Frampton brought a case against his firmer manager for loss of earnings of up to £6 million.

In a counter-suit, Mr McGuigan is claiming against the Belfast-born boxer for breach of contract.

Both men deny the respective allegations against them.

The case continues.

 

McGuigan is finished as a promoter regardless of the outcome..all these suits hes got going...and i wonder if josh taylor is next ....but to me it looks like Frampton was rinsed......than snitched to hmrc by the McGuigans......not a pretty picture being portrayed

The McGuigans putting personal spending on a business account ......buying antiques....home furniture.....family restaraunt meals ...with Frampton a 30% shareholder not aware...41 of them...wags and all.. staying in expensive city hotels weeks before a fight.McGuigans innocent routine looks bs....he would have known from his 1996 disqualification as a director for these same practices it was wrong.

 

41 hotel rooms taken up by mcguigan family and wags ....and barry turfs out a sparring partner to sleep in the corridor like a dog to make way for more of the clan.....skap up meals.....drinks.....all paid for by the fighter frampton.....is that any way to run a business....frampton trusted this guy...the court case has opened my eyes to McGuigabs greed....jesus hes worse than Eastwood now.......and this guy was publicising he wanted to set up a fighters union a few years ago....nice....real nice......no doubt for more abuse of power and trips for the family.

The whole my wife does the accounts i dont know anything... is an excuse peddled by dodgy builders the world over.

That was a slave contract the whole family eating up 50% plus expenses like these than snitching on fighters to hmrc and starting lawsuits willy nilly

Framptons case is against a company.McGuigan has a personal claim against Frampton.

 

Barry claimed in court they didnt write things down or keep records even though company law demands you keep records ..and for 6 years

 

The abused has become the abuser apparently.

Yes boxing is still the red light district of sport

 

Barry McGuigan suffered a stroke during the early stages of his management career with Carl Frampton, a court was told on Thursday.

Mr McGuigan revealed he experienced the medical condition in April, 2013 - the same year Cyclone Promotions - which was overseen by himself and members of his family - was set up.

The retired ex-professional boxer also said his former protege never discussed any issues he may have been having with him directly before their working partnership came to an end.

Mr Frampton (33) is suing over the alleged non-payment of up to £6m in purse fees, broadcasting rights, ticket sales and merchandising during their partnership.

Both Mr McGuigan and Cyclone Promotions are named as defendants. A counter-suit for breach of contract has been filed against the boxer. Both men deny any wrongdoing.

Mr McGuigan insisted Mr Frampton was "one of the family", telling the court Mr Frampton was made a director of his company so the fighter could see that everything was "open and honest".

"We were very open. The (Cyclone) office was above the gym," he told the judge.

"We wanted him to come and see anything that he wanted to see."

On Thursday the court was also told how Barry McGuigan could have secured Carl Frampton's dream of fighting for a world title at Windsor Park Stadium if they had stayed together.

Mr McGuigan also claimed the boxer was already negotiating an exit before he walked out on their relationship.

Completing six days in the witness box, the boxing manager said of Mr Frampton: "He was like one of the family."

Their split came after an ill-fated scheduled fight against Andres Gutierrez in July 2017.

That contest was ultimately called off when the Mexican slipped and injured himself in the shower on the eve of the bout.

Asked by his barrister, Liam McCollum QC, if he had any plans to severe ties with Mr Frampton at the time, Mr McGuigan replied: "No."

Instead, he said, the intention was to rearrange a fight against the same opponent that November and then set up a third contest with Leo Santaz Cruz the following spring.

Three potential locations were suggested: New York, Las Vegas or Windsor Park Stadium in Belfast - a venue Mr Frampton has often described as a dream venue.

During cross-examination on day 14 of the case, counsel for Mr Frampton challenged him on a proposed purse fee of £500,000.

"If that's a Belfast fight, that's an awful lot more than any purse you ever got for Mr Frampton in Belfast before, isn't it?" Gavin Millar QC contended.

Mr McGuigan replied: "We would have tried to put that on in Windsor, it would have been April-May time, that would have been an open air show, that would have been the objective."

He disagreed that his plans were all based on speculation.

"I'm pretty sure Carl would have beaten this guy (Gutierrez), would have looked good in doing so, and then would have had an opportunity to fight Leo Santa Cruz a third time, either at home in Windsor, or in New York or in Las Vegas," he said.

Part of Mr McGuigan's counter-claim involves an alleged loss of commission for the cancelled Gutierrez fight.

Mr Millar pressed him on how the boxer was liable for a contest that was called off.

"Because he walked out on his contract," Mr McGuigan said.

"I believe that he was negotiating leaving, and he was in the throes of walking away from us.

"He broke a contract where we had worked very hard for him for a long time, and did a magnificent job with him."

Mr Millar argued, however, that the claim was not due to his client's actions.

"It was Mr Gutierrez injury that caused that loss of commission," he submitted.

Mr McGuigan replied: "Mr Gutierrez injury caused the fight to be cancelled, yes."

The boxing manager was also quizzed about Mr Frampton's purse of around £145,000 for defeating world champion Kiko Martinez to take the super-bantamweight title in September 2014.

The Spaniard was paid $700,000 for the contest staged at Belfast's Titanic Quarter.

Insisting it had been "a very good purse" for Mr Frampton to secure a world title fight on home turf, Mr McGuigan said it was common for a challenger to be paid less.

Recalling his own boxing career when he famously defeated Eusebio Pedroza to become world champion in 1985, he said: "I fought for the world title, 27,000 people in Loftus Road, got £90,000 and Pedroza got £600,000.

"That regularly happens, the champion comes to the challenger's back yard, he gets paid lots of money and the challenger, for the opportunity to fight at home and a big chance of winning, gets paid considerably less."

The court heard Mr McGuigan negotiated a $1m purse for Mr Frampton to defend his title against Alejandro Gonzalez in El Paso, America.

"If you look at Carl Frampton's purses, and you look at the super-bantamweight division, in its history there has rarely been anybody that has earned more money than Carl Frampton," he said.

"That is something I'm very proud of. Those purses were extraordinary."

Before finishing his evidence, Mr Justice Huddleston asked if he ever directly approached Mr Frampton about their deteriorating relationship.

"We had many conversations," Mr McGuigan told him.

"The interesting thing was he never once said to me 'I'm unhappy', there were multiple opportunities for him to say that.

"I could have had a discussion, I'm a very good person and a very decent person, and I would have been able to resolve any problems he had, had he come and spoken to me about them, which he didn't."

The case was adjourned to next month.