In June last year, Tyson Fury announced on social media that the biggest fight in British boxing history had been agreed. The Gypsy King thanked Daniel Kinahan for getting the deal over the line. But Kinahan is no ordinary boxing promoter. He is alleged to be one of Europe's top mobsters, whose cartel deals in drugs, guns and murder.
For a BBC Panorama documentary, a former boxer in a British city expressed disillusionment that months after Fury's announcement, nothing had changed. He pointed to teenage girls turning to prostitution to pay for drug habits and kids on drugs, questioning how boxing could be a safe haven when a man like Kinahan is at the top of the sport.
Journalists spent weeks finding people in boxing willing to speak about Kinahan. They described a secret association at the heart of professional boxing, united in the view that Kinahan is a disaster for the fight game. But all were afraid to be named.
In February 2016, newspaper photographer Ernie Leslie was outside the Regency Hotel in Dublin, looking for Kinahan. His boxing management company, MGM, was hosting a tournament. Leslie spotted a known gang member and decided to wait for photos. The last fighter to be weighed-in was Gary Sweeney.
