Terence Crawford accuses Bob Arum of 'bias favoring white and Latino fighters' in lawsuit against Top Rank

3:50 PM

The lawsuit was filed against Top Rank in Nevada by Crawford, accusing the company's chairman, Bob Arum, of bias.

The suit claims that Arum has damaged the reputations of Black boxers by making racist and bigoted statements.

After signing with Top Rank in 2011, Crawford won titles in three weight classes and went on to become a household name. He's the No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer.

The suit claims that Arum has a long history of favoring white and Latino fighters and that he makes no secret of his bias against Black fighters.

Crawford is seeking damages to the tune of over $5 million, which he claims he lost due to Top Rank's failure to deliver a second fight in Year 2 of the extension he signed in 2018, along with its inability to offer him a bout with Errol Spence Jr.

If Top Rank didn't offer Crawford a fight with Errol Spence by the end of 2020, the bout agreement included a $900,000 payment, according to the suit.

"It is unfortunate that Top Rank did not treat him well and spoke out against him frequently," Brian Freedman, Crawford's attorney, said.

The promotional agreement with Top Rank was terminated in the wake of the suit against the company, which was represented by Freedman.

"Terence can assert his claims in court without Top Rank forcing him to sit out, which is different from other boxers bound to Top Rank contracts," he said. That is a game-changer.

Top Rank declined to speak to the media.

Crawford claims that he was negligent in misrepresentation. He claims that Arum made comments about him that hurt his reputation and future prospects with a new promoter. The suit points to Arum's comments in 2020 that he could build a house in Beverly Hills on the money he's lost on him in the last three fights.

The last fight of Crawford's deal with Top Rank was his pay-per-view bout against Shawn Porter. The Omaha, Nebraska, native made millions of dollars for his fights with Kell Brook, and with Kavaliauskas.

The suit points to comments made by Arum regarding the difficulty in making a Crawford-Spence fight with Haymon. If you listen to the white guys, they'll steer you down the road. Listen to me. We are part of a group. I'm telling you not to fight Crawford. That's what he will say.