Top Rank boxing exec hid secret deal with alleged crime boss from ESPN and Bob Arum, bombshell lawsuit claims

Todd duBoef, the President of Top Rank Boxing and stepson of company founder Bob Arum, has been accused of hiding agreements with an accused crime boss from as part of an alleged scheme to promote coveted Tyson Fury fights.

Both ESPN and Arum, Muhammad Ali’s former promoter and a 1999 inductee into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame, were unaware of the deals, according to the bombshell lawsuit filed in California Federal Court and obtained by DailyMail.com. The New York Post was the first to report the lawsuit.

DailyMail.com has requested comments from duBoef, his attorneys, Top Rank and ESPN.

Lawyers working on behalf of boxing manager William Keane filed the suit on Thursday in California Febderal Court, claiming duBoef was desperate to book big fights to appease ESPN after Top Rank signed a $90 million media rights deal with the cable giant in 2017. Keane’s attorney declined to comment to DailyMail.com.

Specifically, duBoef is accused concealing a deal with Daniel Kinahan, an Irish boxing promoter and alleged crime boss with ties to Fury. Keane claims he brokered the arrangement between Top Rank and Kinahan in 2019, which made the accused crime boss the underwriter for Fury’s 2020 rematch with Deontay Wilder. Top Rank allegedly did not have the funds required to underwrite the bout, which ended in a seventh-round TKO for Fury and a reported $5 million purse for both fighters.

Not only was duBoef aware of Kinahan’s reputation, the suit claims, but the Top Rank President allegedly instructed Keane to remain quiet about the arrangement.

Todd duBoef (pictured), the President of Top Rank Boxing and stepson of company founder Bob Arum, has been accused of hiding agreements with an alleged crime boss

Lovee Duboef, the mother of Todd, is pictured alongside her husband, Top Rank’s Bob Arum

US authorities imposed sanctions on Daniel Kinahan (above) in 2022

‘[DuBoef] authorized Keane to move forward [with Kinahan], but he admonished Keane that ESPN could not find out that Kinahan was involved,’ read the filing. ‘According to duBoef, the Irish press had reported that Kinahan was the head of a drug cartel, and if duBoef were linked to Kinahan, ESPN might be forced to terminate their deal.’

DuBoef is also accused of paying Kinahan under the table as an international consultant.

Kinahan was ultimately sanctioned by the US Treasury in 2022 amid allegations he ran a criminal organization. He is currently in Dubai facing possible extradition to his native Ireland on money laundering charges, according to The Irish Sun.

An attorney representing the Irish promoter previously told the BBC that his client has no criminal record, adding that the claims Kinahan is a crime boss are false.

DuBoef is the son of Lovee DuBoeff, Arum’s wife.

The lawsuit specifically states that Arum was unaware of duBoef’s alleged arrangement with Kinahan.

‘… duBoef told Keane that Arum could not know about the new Kinahan arrangement,’ read a footnote in the filing. ‘duBoef claimed that Arum was too old and would never understand that he was building a global “media company’’ and needed Kinahan’s muscle to compete with the UFC and expand in Europe.’

Keane claims he is owed money from Top Rank, which attorneys allege in the filing is now being run by duBoef rather than his 93-year-old stepfather, Arum. The boxing manager accuses Top Rank of breaching a contract and violating an implied covenant of good faith.

ESPN’s contract with Top Rank recently expired without being renewed.

Fury has since announced his retirement from boxing, although Top Rank claims he’s still signed for one more fight, according to the Post.

Meanwhile, Top Rank is still hoping to sign a new deal with a streaming platform, such as Amazon, the Post is reporting.