Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson continues to make headlines, as it has been revealed he is being sued in London for almost $1.59 million.
In the lawsuit filed at London’s High Court in October, it's claimed Tyson broke a deal to promote gambling company Rabona through marketing agency Medier when he chose to fight social media influencer Jake Paul instead, according to the Associated Press.
The lawsuit is against Tyson and his company Tyrannic.
The deal between Tyson and Medier was agreed upon in January, but Tyson reportedly terminated it in March, on the same day his fight with Paul was announced. Tyson claimed that Medier breached its initial agreement with the boxer.
However, Medier argues that the company did not initially breach its contract with the boxer, and therefore, Tyson has failed to provide the services he promised. According to the lawsuit, this has cost Medier an estimated €1.46 million.
“The true reason for Mr. Tyson and Tyrannic's hasty and unlawful termination was because Mr. Tyson had agreed a deal, sponsored by Netflix, to fight the influencer, Jake Paul,” Medier's lawyers said in documents made public on Dec. 6.
Details of the deal
Medier is a UK-based marketing agency that works with Rabona, a Curacao-licensed online gaming platform operated by Liernan Enterprises LTD. While the marketing agency agreed on a deal with Tyson in January, an official press release went live on Feb. 6.
The press release promised “Tyson-branded bonuses” while stating that the boxer would appear and “engage fans through monthly livestreams, exclusively on Rabona’s Twitch and Kick channels.”
During these streams, Tyson would play Rabona casino games and tell stories from his career.
Tyson has yet to respond
Medier is seeking more than $800,000 in returned fees it paid to Tyson for services it claims he did not provide. Additionally, the company wants another $729,000 for “wasted production and promotion costs.” Tyson and his company, Tyrannic, have not filed a defense against the claim yet.
"Medier materially breached the terms of its agreement with Tyrannic multiple times by exceeding the scope of the restricted license that was granted, causing, among other things, financial and reputational damage to the company and Mr. Tyson," the boxer’s legal representation said in a statement. "Tyrannic properly terminated the agreement and is confident that the Court will view this dispute in its favor.”
Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul
The fight Tyson abandoned the deal for was held at AT&T Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. More than 72,000 people attended the bout, and Netflix estimates that more than 108 million live-streamed it. Paul won via unanimous decision.
The fight was initially slated for July but was canceled after Tyson, 58, suffered an ulcer flare-up on a plane. The fight generated significant headlines as some U.S. states decided to restrict betting on the event due to unusual regulations like heavy boxing gloves. Those states missed out on serious action, with several U.S. sportsbooks reporting the fight attracting the most of any combat sports event in history.
