Many in boxing over the last decade or so have believed that Al Haymon, though technically a manager or adviser to many of the sport's most well-known fighters, is actually a promoter, which would violate the Muhammad Ali Act if it were true.
Main Events is now claiming just that in a lawsuit filed earlier this week, and if they're able to prove that Haymon is truly a promoter and not just a manager, then American boxing could be in for some big changes in the near future. The suit also deals with the ongoing drama at Golden Boy Promotions, where Richard Schaefer and Oscar De La Hoya are at odds, with the popular belief that Schaefer and Al Haymon are allied.
From Yahoo! Sports:
Attorney Patrick English of Main Events wrote in the complaint, "Defendant Al Haymon holds himself out to be a manager or advisor to professional boxers. In point of fact, as we will explain later in this complaint, he actually operates in the role of promoter."
The complaint alleges that Haymon and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer have "entered into an alliance," the purpose of which "is to wrest control of Golden Boy from Oscar De La Hoya for their own financial gain."
The suit also notes that Leon Margules, who is a co-promoter for Andrzej Fonfara, also happens to be the lawyer for Groupe Yvon Michel, which promotes Adonis Stevenson. Fonfara and Stevenson fight on May 24, and that bout is the reason for this lawsuit, more or less. Main Events believes they had a deal to match their fighter, Sergey Kovalev, with Stevenson, who then signed with Al Haymon and defected from HBO to Showtime in the process.