Boxing: Auckland win ruling over rogue event

The Auckland Boxing Association (ABA) has yet to decide whether it will sue the New Zealand Boxing Council (NZBC) after winning a legal battle against its suspension over a rogue boxing tournament.

The High Court has ruled the NZBC, the executive board of the New Zealand Boxing Association (NZBA), should not have suspended the ABA from the NZBA last year.

The suspension followed a row over an unauthorised boxing tournament in Dargaville last July, run by executive members of the ABA but not the ABA itself.

Justice John Priestley, whose reserved decision was released this week, ruled the NZBC breached the rules of natural justice with the suspension.

He also said the NZBC's own rules prevented it from suspending the ABA as a penalty for an alleged breach of the NZBA's rules and regulations.

Justice Priestley ordered the NZBC and NZBA to meet the ABA's costs. He also commented that the eight-month dispute had "inflicted considerable loss and damage" on the ABA and boxing in the region.

NZBC chairman Keith Walker said yesterday that the judgment was disappointing.

"Obviously we were set back on our heels a wee bit by the result," he said.

"There were many issues involved, but we thought we followed the rules of boxing. But obviously the laws of natural justice aren't covered.

"Our rules were written in the general interests of the sport but we may need to rewrite those rules."

He said the suspension of the ABA would be immediately lifted.

ABA president Reese Ficoory was in Australia and could not be contacted.

But past president Gary McCrystal, who helped to run the Dargaville event in his role as president of the New Zealand National Boxing Federation (NZNBF), said the suspension since September had been very costly. No tournaments had been held and the association's income had been virtually nil.

McCrystal said trainers, boxers and administrators had been "distraught" by the suspension. The ABA's legal advisers were considering Justice Priestley's findings. That could include seeking financial compensation from the national body.

Walker said he hoped the Auckland body would not sue. Nationally, boxing had little money.



ABA had sought a judicial review through the High Court after the NZBC suspended it in September.

The dispute centred on the pro-am tournament in Dargaville. Initially, the amateur bouts of the tournament were to be held under the jurisdiction of the ABA, while the professional bouts were staged by promoter Jim Mahoney, assisted by McCrystal.

But when the ABA struggled to get boxers and officials to travel to Dargaville, it withdrew.

Mahoney then said he would can the tournament, but later changed his mind and ran the full card under the NZNFB umbrella.

However, neither the NZBA, the ABA or police, who had issued a permit, were advised the tournament was going ahead.

When the NZBC found amateur fights had been staged without proper officials, it requested the resignations of Mahoney and McCrystal, who were both ABA executive members, and two other members who attended.

The ABA reprimanded the men instead, so the NZBC suspended the association.

- NZPA