Matchroom split and Cyclone contract details discussed in Frampton McGuigan legal battle

Details of with regard to Carl Frampton’s 2013 split from Matchroom have come out during legal proceedings between the three weight world title hopeful and former manager Barry McGuigan.

Just as he was gaining serious momentum under Matchroom in Belfast and developing toward serious stardom, Frampton and McGuigan confirmed they were going it alone.

Cyclone Promotions was established and the then future world champion was to work alongside former world champion in promoting himself.

Matchroom boss Hearn, who Frampton claims showed a real lack of love during their time together, says he instigated the split because he didn’t want to share promotional duties with McGuigan.

Frampton has since split from Cyclone Promotions and is suing his fellow Irish fight legend for alleged withheld earnings – although Mr McGuigan’s lawyers disputed the truthfulness of the allegations made against him and categorically denied them.

During day one proceedings details of that infamous Matchroom split and Cylcone’s birth came out.

The court and Mr Justice Huddleston was told a Northern Ireland-based Cyclone company was set up in 2013 and Frampton was named a director.

It was claimed that McGuigan promised Frampton a 30% share of the promotional companies profits as an incentive to end a previous promotional arrangement with Matchroom.

So effectively Frampton would have serious input over his career and have a cut of all profits made from Cyclone Promotions. It seems an ideal scenario particularly if he was being paid fight purses too. However, as current court proceedings suggest things didn’t work out.

“He believed what Barry McGuigan was saying to him was true, and the advice Barry McGuigan was giving at this key stage in his career as an experienced boxing man to walk away from Matchroom and promote his own fights was correct,” a lawyer for Frampton said.

“It’s now clear that my client was mistaken.”

Counsel for Frampton pointed to a ‘strange twist’ in 2015, claiming the Belfast favourite was presented with a new contract which involved exclusive world-wide promotions rights for Frampton’s fight.

Frampton made his American debut in 2015 against the late Alejandro Gonzalez Jr.

“To use the memorial words of Barry McGuigan’s memoir, it’s pretty much a slave contract with all the rights to promote Mr Frampton’s career for three years being signed away on the spot by the boxer,” Frampton’s representative continued.

The relationship between the pair deteriorated further, when an attempt was to made to claim £75,000 worth expenses was made by the McGuigan family and associates – and the split eventually came around in 2017.

Liam McCollum QC, representing McGuigan said: “Who is telling the truth, that is what it is going to be about, and Mr Frampton, on the basis of the case opened and pleaded, is most certainly not if he gives evidence.”