A UFC fighter has publicly thanked mob boss Daniel Kinahan after winning his fight on Saturday.
Tunisian fighter Mounir Lazzez called Daniel his “brother, friend and advisor” in a post-fight interview on ESPN when he claimed victory in the UFC Fight Night over Ange Loosa in Los Angeles.
“Without him I would never be the man who I am today and my career at this point,” he said.
However, in a follow up interview at a press conference, Lazzez, who is also known as The Sniper, claimed he was unaware of the allegations against Kinahan, which include running one of the world’s biggest cartels, drug trafficking, money laundering and an alleged gang war in Dublin and Spain causing 18 deaths.
Just days ago, Daniel Kinahan was sanctioned by the US Government for allegedly running the Irish organised crime syndicate, which deals in drug trafficking, money laundering, and murder.
The Drug Enforcement Agency offered a bounty of up to $5 million for information leading to the disruption of the Kinahan gang or arrest of Daniel Kinahan.
Kinahan has been a large figure in combat sports, as he founded MTK Global, a boxing management company.
“I think I’m here to entertain people,” Lazzez told reporter Alan Dawson. “I give the credit to whoever deserves credit.
“I’m not involved in stuff. I don’t know about it and I will investigate how it is.”
This comes as boxer Tyson Fury last night declared he had no interest in America’s decision to hit his former advisor with massive sanctions over his crime and drugs empire.
“It’s none of my business, and I don’t get involved in other people’s business,” the heavyweight champion said.
His statement, to the US-based Ring boxing magazine, were the star’s first comments since the unprecedented international crackdown on the international drugs gang.
And his apparent unwillingness to talk about Kinahan is a far cry from his comments less than two years ago — when he publicly thanked the mobster for helping to secure a multi-million euro face-off against rival boxer Anthony Joshua.
“Big shout out to Dan, he got this done...literally over the line, a two-fight deal,” he said in 2020.
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