A Bronx-based boxing promoter is suing Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports for attempting to lure a world champion middleweight away from his contract, only to cancel a Showtime match and dump the fighter.
Star Boxing says in its $10 million Manhattan Supreme Court suit that Roc Nation was in talks to sign Demetrius Andrade as its first fighter last September.
According to court documents, Roc Nation promised to pay Star $2 million to buy out Andrade’s exclusive contract — and also pledged to pay the former Olympian $550,000 to cancel a fight against Jermell Charlo in December 2014 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The bout would have aired on Showtime.
Roc Nation told Andrade he could make more than the $550,000 he had been offered by Star Boxing with another fight they had set up for HBO, the suit says.
Reps for Roc even invited Andrade and his family to the company’s Manhattan headquarters on Nov. 18, 2014, when he met Jay Z and other execs, the suit claims.
But Roc suddenly decided not to pursue Andrade, 27, and refused to pay him for canceling the Showtime bout, the suit says. Star Boxing says it has ruined their relationship with Showtime.
The suit also seeks unspecified damages to punish Roc for acting “willfully, maliciously, recklessly, wantonly and with intent to injure Star Boxing.”
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