Manuel Charr vs. Trevor Bryan - WBA Ordered

[maverick23]

As much as I dislike Charr for being partly responsible for the recent WBA Regular farce, I would now like him to win, not because of Bryan, just because of King.

Same. Feel a bit bad for Bryan - there’s lots of money to be made at heavyweight at the moment and having 2 1/2 years out at what should be his peak isn’t good at all.

I believe that Charr and Bryan want(ed) to get that AJ opponent payday. It probably would've seen Charr into retirement and Bryan would've been comfortable for the rest of his life.

The thing is, over the past 2.5 years, if they defended the belt a couple of times and established themselves as a legit top 20 contender, AJ may have faced them instead of Miller, Povetkin, Ruiz. That would've seen them earn a couple of million. Instead, they've sat on it and missed out on a lot of money and there's now no chance, with their reputations, the lack of importance of that belt and other things going on at the top of the division that the Regular belt holder will get a shot within the next two years at least. They both missed their chance by messing around instead of making a legitimate case for themselves. So I don't feel massively sorry for either of them as they wasted their own chances.

We can hope that someone with some intention to compete at the top level beats them and picks this belt up so it may eventually get merged with the proper title, but we don't want to see AJ/Fury face Bryan or Charr.

Bryan may not have had any choice though but to sit out because of his contract with King. Would likely be written in a way that means King holds significant power over who he fights and that breaches give rise to significant penalties.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Same. Feel a bit bad for Bryan - there’s lots of money to be made at heavyweight at the moment and having 2 1/2 years out at what should be his peak isn’t good at all.

I believe that Charr and Bryan want(ed) to get that AJ opponent payday. It probably would've seen Charr into retirement and Bryan would've been comfortable for the rest of his life.

The thing is, over the past 2.5 years, if they defended the belt a couple of times and established themselves as a legit top 20 contender, AJ may have faced them instead of Miller, Povetkin, Ruiz. That would've seen them earn a couple of million. Instead, they've sat on it and missed out on a lot of money and there's now no chance, with their reputations, the lack of importance of that belt and other things going on at the top of the division that the Regular belt holder will get a shot within the next two years at least. They both missed their chance by messing around instead of making a legitimate case for themselves. So I don't feel massively sorry for either of them as they wasted their own chances.

We can hope that someone with some intention to compete at the top level beats them and picks this belt up so it may eventually get merged with the proper title, but we don't want to see AJ/Fury face Bryan or Charr.

Bryan may not have had any choice though but to sit out because of his contract with King. Would likely be written in a way that means King holds significant power over who he fights and that breaches give rise to significant penalties.

You just got to be thick to even sign a contract with King in the first place.

[maverick23]

I believe that Charr and Bryan want(ed) to get that AJ opponent payday. It probably would've seen Charr into retirement and Bryan would've been comfortable for the rest of his life.

The thing is, over the past 2.5 years, if they defended the belt a couple of times and established themselves as a legit top 20 contender, AJ may have faced them instead of Miller, Povetkin, Ruiz. That would've seen them earn a couple of million. Instead, they've sat on it and missed out on a lot of money and there's now no chance, with their reputations, the lack of importance of that belt and other things going on at the top of the division that the Regular belt holder will get a shot within the next two years at least. They both missed their chance by messing around instead of making a legitimate case for themselves. So I don't feel massively sorry for either of them as they wasted their own chances.

We can hope that someone with some intention to compete at the top level beats them and picks this belt up so it may eventually get merged with the proper title, but we don't want to see AJ/Fury face Bryan or Charr.

Bryan may not have had any choice though but to sit out because of his contract with King. Would likely be written in a way that means King holds significant power over who he fights and that breaches give rise to significant penalties.

You just got to be thick to even sign a contract with King in the first place.

King has always preyed on guys who aren’t the sharpest, potentially need money and that would sign pretty much anything for a bag of cash up front.

He’s done it to hundreds if not thousands of fighters during his time.

[Perkin Warbeck]

Fres Oquendo has filed an injunction against the WBA to block the Charr-Bryan title fight.

[margaret thatcher]

lol this f@cking never ending 3 man circus and their frizzy old ringmaster

[bigjack]

Fres Oquendo has filed an injunction against the WBA to block the Charr-Bryan title fight.

Thank God,hopefully we will be spared the pain of this whole mess

[margaret thatcher]

nah, it will just drag on longer

[Ruthless-RKO]

WBA and Mendoza are the only ones to blame. For putting these boxers in these positions. And for what? Sanction fees?

Don’t they make enough of AJ.

[chinarich]

If only there was a way to stop creating a plethora of meaningless ‘world’ title belts...

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fres Oquendo loses clumsy legal bid to stop Charr-Bryan

On January 15th, Fres Oquendo filed a complaint in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois asking for "an immediate injunction against the WBA to halt the pending heavyweight title fight between Manuel Charr and Trevor Bryon [sic]" and also to declare that "Oquendo is next in line to fight Charr for the heavyweight title." There are a couple of problems with the lawsuit.

First, Oquendo hasn't fought since 2014. Second, his attorney did not know how to request an injunction, failing to file the proper papers. Third, he has not yet notified (served) the WBA with the lawsuit. Other than that, he's off to a great start!

The judge assigned to the case politely rejected the request for an injunction, writing, "On 1/20/2021, Plaintiff's counsel contacted the Court's chambers to request an emergency hearing on a preliminary injunction. (The Court characterizes the requested hearing as an emergency because it was requested to take place prior to service of the Complaint on Defendant and with less than the three-day notice that the Court usually requires.) Plaintiff's counsel has not, however, filed a motion for a preliminary injunction. Instead, Plaintiff's counsel informed the Court's courtroom deputy that he intends to proceed just on the Complaint.

However, to give proper consideration to a request for a preliminary injunction, the Court requires a written motion for that relief; the Complaint is not an adequate substitute.

Most importantly, the Complaint does not contain any legal authority, argument, or other explanation regarding how the requirements for preliminary injunctive relief... are satisfied in this case. To be clear, the Complaint is not the proper place for such argument.

Rather, Plaintiff must file a separate motion document setting forth the nature of the preliminary relief sought, supporting authority, and at least a brief argument supporting the request. The Court cannot set a hearing on the motion for a preliminary injunction until it has been filed." Oquendo's attorney has so far failed follow up with the correct papers. Charr-Bryan is scheduled for Friday.

[Ruthless-RKO]

As of now, the DKP bout sheet is looking like this:

Manuel Charr vs. Trevor Bryan (WBA heavyweight title)
Beibut Shumenov vs. Raphael Murphy (WBA cruiserweight title)
Bermane Stiverne vs. TBA (heavyweight)
Ronald Johnson vs. Raphael Zumbano (heavyweight)
Johnnie Langston vs. Robert Sims (cruiserweight)

[Jeff_lacy_ko]

Fres Oquendo loses clumsy legal bid to stop Charr-Bryan

On January 15th, Fres Oquendo filed a complaint in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois asking for "an immediate injunction against the WBA to halt the pending heavyweight title fight between Manuel Charr and Trevor Bryon [sic]" and also to declare that "Oquendo is next in line to fight Charr for the heavyweight title." There are a couple of problems with the lawsuit.

First, Oquendo hasn't fought since 2014. Second, his attorney did not know how to request an injunction, failing to file the proper papers. Third, he has not yet notified (served) the WBA with the lawsuit. Other than that, he's off to a great start!

The judge assigned to the case politely rejected the request for an injunction, writing, "On 1/20/2021, Plaintiff's counsel contacted the Court's chambers to request an emergency hearing on a preliminary injunction. (The Court characterizes the requested hearing as an emergency because it was requested to take place prior to service of the Complaint on Defendant and with less than the three-day notice that the Court usually requires.) Plaintiff's counsel has not, however, filed a motion for a preliminary injunction. Instead, Plaintiff's counsel informed the Court's courtroom deputy that he intends to proceed just on the Complaint.

However, to give proper consideration to a request for a preliminary injunction, the Court requires a written motion for that relief; the Complaint is not an adequate substitute.

Most importantly, the Complaint does not contain any legal authority, argument, or other explanation regarding how the requirements for preliminary injunctive relief... are satisfied in this case. To be clear, the Complaint is not the proper place for such argument.

Rather, Plaintiff must file a separate motion document setting forth the nature of the preliminary relief sought, supporting authority, and at least a brief argument supporting the request. The Court cannot set a hearing on the motion for a preliminary injunction until it has been filed." Oquendo's attorney has so far failed follow up with the correct papers. Charr-Bryan is scheduled for Friday.

Man this saga needed some Fres

WBA!!°

[Ruthless-RKO]

Charr-Bryan Off, Don King Plans To Still Proceed With Jan. 29 Show In Florida

Mahmoud (Manuel) Charr and Trevor Bryan will have to wait another day to settle their differences—if ever at all.

The oft-postponed WBA heavyweight title consolidation bout has once again hit the scrap heap, event officials have informed Boxing Scene. Reasons for the fallout depend on which side of the argument is believed, though the lack of a signed contract between parties and the status of Charr’s P1 visa ultimately prompted the decision to drop the fight from the schedule.

The bout was due to take place this Friday, live on an independent Pay-Per-View distributed by Hall of Fame promoter Don King from Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The show will apparently still go on in some form, just without Charr as part of the card.

“The issue was that Charr did not have the right kind of visa allowing him to fight in the United States,” Carl Lewis, attorney for Don King Productions told Boxing Scene. “The visa he has obtained allows him to travel to the U.S. but his P1 visa application is still pending. If he was granted a P1 work visa, he could fight. If not, he can’t fight. Don [was] waiting like everyone else for them to make their decision.”

As previously reported by Boxing Scene, the backup plan is for Bryan (20-0, 14 KOs)—an unbeaten heavyweight from Schenectady, New York—to face faded former WBC titlist Bermane Stiverne (25-4-1, 21 KOs.

King has previously petitioned for an exception to be granted by the WBA to allow for Charr’s “World” title to be at stake—as would have been the case had he faced Bryan, the sanctioning body’s reigning interim titlist. In the request also came for a call to demote Charr—a Syrian heavyweight based out of Cologne, Germany—to “Champion in Recess” if not outright strip him altogether.

Charr has not fought since a 12-round win over Alexander Ustinov in their vacant secondary title fight in Nov. 2017. The 36-year old heavyweight tested positive for two banned substances surrounding a canceled Sept. 2018 title defense versus Fres Oquendo, who—as reported by BS.com—filed an injunction to block the Charr vs. Bryan fight or any other secondary WBA title fight in which he is not included.

Charr was suspended and initially stripped of the title as the result of the infraction, though overturned in Jan. 2019 thanks to a drug testing legal loophole in claiming he was not given sufficient notice to be present in order to witness the unsealing of his “B” sample to be tested. From there came the call for Charr and Bryan to meet in a title consolidation clash, with Bryan having won the interim belt in a 4th round knockout of BJ Flores in Aug. 2018.

A purse bid hearing to determine promotional rights was held last March, won by King,who submitted a $2,000,000 bid. Plans to stage the event last May were thwarted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with subsequent efforts met with additional resistance. The WBA intervened, calling for a deadline for the fight to take place by Jan. 29th, 2021 before declaring a purse bid default and determining next steps.

King bore the brunt of the blame, though his team has its own stories to share.

“We’ve been trying for years to make this fight happen,” notes Lewis. “If you look at Charr’s history, he goes through different representation each time and then blames the other side for delays. First it was John Wirt, then Ivaylo [Gotzev]. Now it’s EC Boxing [Erol Ceylan].

“We wanted this fight to happen but of course had to take [precautionary] measures with the pandemic and everything. Charr hasn’t arrived yet, we have rules and regulations for fighters to be in the bubble. We don’t know if he’s been tested (for COVID-19), we don’t know if he’s clean… so we wanted to have everything in place for the show to go on. If Trevor or Charr weren’t available, you’ve got to have a backup.”

The plan—King and his office continue to insist—is for the show to proceed with whatever parts are left in place. The show has already lost its chief support, as a replacement opponent has been sought for inactive secondary cruiserweight titlist Beibut Shumenov, who will no longer defend his belt versus Raphael Murphy.

The undercard features 2016 Olympic Bronze medalist Joahnys Argilagos (5-0, 3 KOs) in a scheduled four-round bantamweight clash versus Ernie Marquez (10-15-2). Cleveland-born heavyweight Ronald Johnson (17-1, 4 KOs) will face Arkansas journeyman Terrell Woods (24-47-8, 17 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round bout, while cruiserweights DeShon Webster (12-3-3, 6KOs) and Johnnie Langston (8-3, 3 KOs) collide in a scheduled six-round contest.

As for Charr, current health and social distancing protocols minimize his chances of crashing the party, much less serving as the guest of honor.

“Look, Don doesn’t work for Homeland Security,” notes Lewis. “And he’s not trying to bring someone to the U.S. illegally. What they have is the equivalent of a tourist visa. So, he’s more than welcome to come to Florida, see the sights and take in all the attractions he wants. But as far as the fight, that can’t happen without the proper documentation.”

[Jeff_lacy_ko]

Man nobody saw that coming

[bigjack]

I'd wager good money this doesn't happen

[Ruthless-RKO]

FFFUUUUUUUU

[adislav123]

man; i'm shattered.

never in a million years i could've imagined this not happening.

[gregregegg]

Sub fresss in.

[keirw]

What an absolute mess, there are plenty of solid contenders out there who are active and would probably be happy to fight for the WBA regular if it wasn't for the current state it is in.

Imagine if the likes of Joyce, Hrgovic, Hunter or H Fury were fighting for it. Not only would the belt be active, but it would also mean something as by the end of it as it will be held by a decent fighter who may actually get a shot at one of the big boys down the line.

The best the WBA can hope for under the current circumstances is that two of these jokers fight at some point and the winner gets beat by one of the names I mentioned in their next fight.

[DrDuke]

What a circus. Both HW fights of it got a one side off and now Stiverne vs Bryan is on. Still there's some fun in the event.

[giacomino]

Joke, per usual with the WBA. Don’t know how anyone involved in the sport takes any of this seriously.

[TheGingerBomber]

Hope everyone involved in this sh!t show, falls off the face of the Earth. WBA needs binning for this tragedy alone.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Releasing a statement, Charr has come out fighting.

“Entry to the United States was imminent. We settled all formalities,” said the Diamond Boy information.

“Only a valid P1 visa stood in the way of the planned fight between Mahmoud Charr and Trevor Bryan in the USA.

“This was also already organized and could have been granted without further ado. But since Don King Productions still refuses to sign a valid fight contract and send it back to EC Boxing, they cannot provide any confirmation for the venue/

“The US consulate in Frankfurt was able to arrange the handing over the visa. The consulate announced it in writing.”

DON KING BLAMED

EC Boxing aimed further blame at King.

“This is the preliminary climax of an odyssey in which Don King left no doubt from the start that his interest in this fight never existed.

“Although he had made himself responsible in his fight contract and wanted to take care of the visa situation and other organizational matters, it was Charr and EC Boxing who took the reins of action and got everything in motion.

“This also includes the necessary medical tests. All of which were complete. And that although the other side never signed the combat contract.

“Despite all these additional efforts, although these fell into the area of ​​responsibility of Don King Productions, the missing signature ultimately tips the scales.

“So the fight in Florida scheduled for Friday will not take place.

“Charr and EC Boxing are incredibly disappointed with this development. We want a solution soon, also from the WBA.

“It is clear that soon, a world championship fight with the participation of the ‘Diamond Boy’ will take place.”

A predictable outcome. King is yet to confirm if Trevor Bryan will still fight. And if Stiverne will be the opponent.

[Jeff_lacy_ko]

Im pretty sure multiple people i this thread predicted the outcome

King doesnt have to pay 2mm and lose it all
His fighters get to fight
He can ymtry and strip charr and force mandatory

Well played by the old master but weve all seen this script before

[keirw]

Don King is a scumbag who epitomises everything wrong with the sport of boxing, why does anyone even consider working with him anymore?

It's not like he has a stable of fighters people are queuing up to fight.