MANDELA?S DAUGHTER ORDERED TO PAY $7.5M IN DAMAGES FOR FAILURE TO DELIVER PACQUIAO-MAYWEATHER FIGHT
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 26 Dec 2011
A US Judge has ruled that Nelson Mandela?s daughter Zindzi pay Los Angeles boxing adviser Duane Moody $7.5 million for breach of contract in failing to deliver a proposed fight between Ring Magazine?s pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao and undefeated Floyd Mayweather jr.
Kamini Padayachee of The Mercury newspaper in South Africa reported that Judge Richard Niedorf handed down the default judgment after Mandela failed to file responding papers.
Pacquiao?s adviser Michael Koncz told the Manila Standard that Zindzi Mandela had approached him about the project and that he had invited Top Rank promoter Bob Arum to discuss it with Mandela during a meeting at the Beverly Hills hotel in Los Angeles.
Koncz said that was the last time they met with Zindzi Mandela even as he wondered how she could be held liable when ?she had no control over the two fighters? even though she met with Mayweather and Moody.
Moody had claimed that Nobel peace prize winner Nelson Mandela?s daughter Zindzi had approached him in February to help secure the mega-buck fight to mark the 93rd birthday celebrations of her father, the renowned world figure.
The planned fight was to take place at the Orlando Stadium, Soweto, in November with an announcement to be made on Mandela?s birthday on July 18 .
The Mercury said Moody claimed that negotiations with Mayweather jr fell through when Mandela did not come up with the cash to finance the event prompting him to file his lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court last April 15, claiming damages for breach of oral contract, promise without the intent to perform, and negligent misrepresentation.
He sued for the $7.5m he claims he was promised by Mandela. Moody said he had a good relationship with Mandela. ?She approached me and asked me to help bring Mayweather junior to SA to fight Manny Pacquiao as a birthday present for Mr. Mandela.?
Mandela told The Mercury that questions about the case should be referred to her US representative, VisionQwest CEO Michael Lodge who claimed Moody had not been involved in the talks with Mayweather jr or Pacquiao at any stage. VisionQwest Resource Group Inc and SA company Mohlaleng Media had conducted the negotiations, with Mandela acting as consultant to Mohlaleng.
Lodge claimed ?I have never met this individual (Moody), nor does he have any legal agreements with either company regarding Mayweather vs Pacquiao proposed bouts. All proposals and agreements had to go through our two firms; our firms were the decision makers.?
Moody according to the newspaper said he had an oral agreement with Mandela to get 15 percent ($7.5m) of the estimated $50m to be paid to Mayweather jr. He had set up meetings with Mayweather sr and then with Mayweather jr in Las Vegas in February and March.
Moody said ?Mayweather jr was excited about the fight and about bringing his family to meet Nelson Mandela. He had not known Mandela had been an amateur fighter. We started off with a $20m purse per fighter and said they would get a percentage of the pay-per-view and other revenues. And then it was to be a purse of $50m per fighter. Zindzi assured me she had the money in place.? Moody.
He claimed the negotiations fell through after he learned that Mandela did not have the money to finance the fight. He said he had sued because the failed negotiations had damaged his reputation. He claimed ?It messed up my credibility with the Mayweathers and it affected my ability to do business in the entertainment industry. I brought the case against Mandela because she was the person I was dealing with; my agreement was with her.?
Lodge said Mandela was aware of the default judgment and the matter was being handled by her legal team.
Photo (L-R) Duane Moody, Floyd Mayweather Jr and Zindzi Mandela.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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