*A Bronx-based boxing promoter is suing Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports for trying to lure a world champion middleweight away from his contract, only to cancel a $750,000 bout and not sign the fighter, reports the New York Post.
Star Boxing’s $10 million suit in Manhattan Supreme Court claims Roc Nation was in talks to sign Demetrius Andrade as its first fighter last September. Roc Nation promised to pay Star $2 million to buy out Andrade’s exclusive contract, and also pledged to pay the former Olympian $550,000 to cancel a fight against Jermell Charlo in December 2014 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, court papers say.
The fight would have aired on Showtime. Andrade Instagrammed his excitement:
Roc Nation told Andrade he could make more than the $550,000 he had been offered by Star Boxing with another fight they had set up for HBO, the suit says.
Andrade and his family were even invited to the company’s Manhattan headquarters on Nov. 18, 2014, when he met Jay Z and other execs, the suit says.
But Roc abruptly decided not to pursue Andrade, 27, and refused to pay him for canceling the Showtime bout, the suit says.
Star Boxing says it has ruined their relationship with Showtime, and Andrade is now damaged goods.
The suit also seeks unspecified damages to punish Roc for acting “willfully, maliciously, recklessly, wantonly and with intent to injure Star Boxing.”
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