Daniel Kinahan: Alleged crime boss remains active in boxing, investigation reveals

The Irishman, who is the focus of Panorama, Boxing and the Mob, claimed he was walking away from the sport last year after Tyson Fury publicly thanked him for helping to broker a fight with Anthony Joshua

Fury had thanked Kinahan for his role as an advisor (Twitter)

Daniel Kinahan, the suspected crime boss and former advisor to heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury, is still involved in boxing, BBC Panorama has revealed.

Kinahan has been named in Irish courts as the head of the Kinahan Organised Crime Group, one of Europe’s most brutal drug cartels.

The 43-year-old helped create MTK Global, which represents approximately 250 boxers around the world, including Fury, super-middleweight world champion Billy Joe Saunders and two-weight world champion Carl Frampton.

But MTK Global announced in 2017 that Kinahan had cut ties with the company, while last year it was confirmed he was stepping back from boxing entirely, having helped negotiate an informal agreement for a mega fight between Fury and fellow world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.

MTK Global has now confirmed to Panorama that the Irishman, who moved to Dubai in 2016, still advises some of its boxers.

READ MORE: Tyson Fury endorses Daniel Kinahan for prime minister on same day advisor relationship ends

Lawyers for MTK Global told the programme: “It is true that Mr Kinahan provides some personal advice to a number of boxers managed by MTK Global and we are instructed that Mr Kinahan also provides such advisory services to boxers who are managed by other worldwide boxing management companies too.”

MTK Global also insists that Kinahan has never owned, controlled or been an employee of the company.

But his involvement in the sport has seen many figures remain silent with Panorama claiming almost everybody they attempted to speak to were too frightened to appear on camera.

That is except former world champion and manager Barry McGuigan, who believes there is “an intimidation effect” surrounding Kinahan’s involvement in the sport.

“There is no doubt that there is an intimidation effect, there is no question about that. If we were to believe what we believe, this is a very dangerous man," said McGuigan, who recently reached an out-of-court settlement after a lengthy legal battle with Frampton, who he previously represented.

“Someone has got to look out for this sport. They really need to look at this situation very carefully, because it’s bloody dangerous.”

Courts in Ireland have linked the Kinahan Organised Crime Group to drug trafficking, money laundering and gangland executions, while police believe the organisation is now being run from Dubai.

Panorama has reported that the Irish authorities are attempting to have members of the Kinahan cartel deported, while the American Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) may be investigating the gang separately.

The programme, Panorama, Boxing and the Mob, which airs on BBC One at 9pm this evening, comes after Kinahan’s involvement in the sport sparked outrage last year when Fury took to social media to thank him for his help brokering what will perhaps become the biggest fight in British boxing history against Joshua.

The scrutiny, which included debate in both British and Irish parliaments, eventually died down when it was confirmed that Kinahan was severing ties with the sport, though Panorama now claims this never materialised.

WBC champion Fury has refused to comment on whether Kinahan maintains an advisory role in his team.

While Kinahan’s lawyers insist he is a “legitimate businessman”, as well as emphasising an absence of any criminal convictions. They also refute accusations of his involvement in running a violent cartel, reiterating a lack of any evidence.

“He is proud of his record in boxing to date. He has operated on the basis of honesty and with a commitment to putting fighters’ needs first,” read a statement from Kinahan’s representatives, who insist their client is incapable of receiving a fair trial.

“Mr Kinahan is a successful and independent advisor in the boxing industry in his own right. It is a matter of public record that he has exited the business of MTK.”

Panorama, Boxing and the Mob is on BBC One on Monday 1 February at 9pm.