Kane Baker stunned the British boxing world with bribery allegations following the cancelation of his clash with Aqib Fiaz on Saturday night.
Promoter Eddie Hearn had revealed he pulled the contest from the Tyler Denny vs Felix Cash card due to ‘betting irregularities’ on the eve of the bout. Matchroom released a statement in the run-up that read: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, Aqib Fiaz vs Kane Baker 2 is off. The live DAZN broadcast begins at 7 pm as originally planned.”
However, despite Hearn’s attempt to add further clarity, Baker took to social media to air his side of the story. The Birmingham native says he received accusations of taking a dive, which he has reversed.
“There were no bets made from my people or my team, and the investigation from whatever gambling organization will confirm this,” said Baker. “This whole situation only got flagged when a member of my family contacted the other team to ask why there were bribes and money at my hotel.
“If I were betting against myself, surely I would have gone ahead with the fight, but I wouldn’t have allowed a family member to contact the opposition to stop the fight. The fight was never going ahead unless I agreed to take a dive. That’s the facts. Another thing is if I wanted to bet on myself I wouldn’t have a member of Team Fiaz flying around getting bets on. I’d get them on myself. Make it make sense.”
He added: “This is my livelihood, too. My mental health, so why should I have to deal with [people] calling me a cheat when I have been an honest fighter my whole career?
“Tell the truth, the fight only got pulled when my family member got in contact with the coach to stop the fight. The only person with any decency in that team is the coach!”
As Matchroom has yet to respond, Baker’s public comments seem to have gone under the radar so far. However, like when Dave Allen received scrutiny for his win over Dorian Darch, more will come to light after authorities complete the investigation.
Anything betting-related is a shock to the system, especially when the integrity of the sport is at risk. The last thing anyone involved in boxing wants is fights with predetermined outcomes, hence the seriousness of Hearn’s tone when speaking about the events on DAZN.
Whatever the current situation is, this is not the end of the Fiaz vs Baker story.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
