Browne takes a swing at promoter
World-ranked Australian boxer Lucas Browne yesterday explained the Twitter attack on his promoter Ricky Hatton and management team in which he appealed for legal advice on how to get out of his three-year deal.
The unbeaten heavyweight, the mandatory challenger for the Commonwealth title, opened up on the social network site on Thursday night.
"Sick of all the behind the scenes bulls… in boxing. I want to fight and don't care who, I want to get paid and live my life. Is that hard," Browne tweeted.
He added: "I need a good contracts lawyer to get me out of this bulls... I'm stuck in... Any suggestions???"
When asked if he was talking about Hatton or co-manager Matt Clark, Browne replied: "Both."
The 34-year-old, who returned to live in Sydney last month after being based in Perth for three years, said yesterday he was frustrated at what he sees as their inability to get him big-money fights.
"I suppose it was a hissy fit on my part but I felt I was getting messed around," he said. "I've just moved back to Sydney, I'm running out of money and I'm still waiting for someone to come up with something."
Browne, who took his record to 19-0 (17KO) with a second-round stoppage of Clarence Tillman in December, said negotiations to fight for the vacant title against Solomon Haumono in Melbourne on April 3 had fallen through because terms could not be agreed to between the parties.
"That fight is now off. They couldn't agree a deal. Since I went on Twitter I've now been told I could now be fighting for the title in the UK in April. But it's not clear," Browne said.
He said his three-year deals with Manchester-based Hatton and Clark, who lives in Brisbane, would run out in April 2015.
Browne said "three different people from Hatton" had spoken to him since his Twitter rant. "They weren't happy," he said. "They said things were moving. So perhaps it worked. We'll see.
“Don’t get me wrong, as people they are sensational and when I’ve gone to the UK they have looked after me. But I’m still here struggling.”
Clark, who is out of the country, did not want to comment on his fighter’s outburst.
Hatton, a genuine superstar in the sport, could argue that it’s been his promotion and contacts that have helped big-punching Browne reach No11 in the World Boxing Council rankings and No15 in the World Boxing Association and build a sizeable following in Britain.
“I’m not silly enough not to recognise that they have the contacts and can build me up. But I need to be fighting. Let’s see what happens,” Browne said.
