Baranchyk withdraws from World Boxing Super Series

IBF Junior Welterweight champion, Ivan Baranchyk has withdrawn from the World Boxing Super Series due failure of being paid, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“We are definitely pulling out. Ivan was supposed to fight [Josh] Taylor in Glasgow [Scotland] in late May. That was what I was hearing, but they haven’t spoken to any of us, not me, not [co-promoter] Lou [DiBella], said Baranchyk’s manager David McWater.

“We got the purse for the quarterfinals but we had to wait about two months for the win bonus that Ivan was owed, and we didn’t get it until after we had to threaten them,” McWater said. “They paid us late and now they are refusing to put the money in escrow for the semifinals until the fight. They won’t even put part of the money in escrow.”

“We feel like they are not going to be able to pay us,” McWater said. “They’re not willing to negotiate putting money in escrow in a timely fashion. We don’t believe the fight will happen anyway and we’re burning daylight. Ivan is missing fights. We’re incredibly disappointed because we wanted this tournament to work so badly. We are not pulling out because we have some other plan, but I feel confident somebody will make us an offer.

“Ivan has a world title, so I don’t expect us to sit around. This kid looks at his boxing as a 9-to-5 job. He trains every single day. How do you tell him there are all these delays because they don’t have the money?”

McWater said he would not be surprised if there was litigation over Baranchyk’s withdrawal but “I think we win. We may end up in court. We are the injured party and were more than fair with them. They are the ones in breach of their contract.”

A Comosa AG spokesperson told ESPN, “We have not received any notice of Ivan Baranchyk pulling out of the tournament. Ivan Baranchyk was paid a very large sum to challenge for a vacant title and the WBSS and its shareholders have invested hugely into its brand. Its contracts are watertight and any failure to meet them will be met with the very hardest of consequences. This applies to all fighters and also to promoters, managers and agents alike.”

“I understand the decision that was made by Ivan and Dave McWater. They’re extremely frustrated and had a number of significant concerns about continuing in the WBSS,” DiBella said. “As Ivan’s co-promoter, I reached out to the WBSS to convey their concerns and provide them with an opportunity to give comfort to Ivan and to provide specifics with respect to the next round of the tournament and the final, as well as comfort with respect to the money presently being there to meet their obligations. But a number of phone calls were not returned and a substantive letter sent last week was not replied to.”

DiBella is also junior welterweight semifinalist Regis Prograis’ promoter and said that Prograis’ continued participation in the tournament is up in the air.

“Regis’ future in the tournament has to be determined by Regis and his management, Churchill Boxing,” he said. “As with Ivan, DiBella Entertainment is not in contractual privity with the World Boxing Super Series.”