Daniel Kinahan , a suspected mob boss, is one ofboxing 's most powerful figures.- This presents issues for governments around the world, as well as boxing authorities.
- That's according to British politician
Stephen Farry , who said Wednesday he is "very concerned."
Daniel Kinahan's role in boxing presents "major issues" for governments and sporting authorities, UK politician Stephen Farry told Insider in a statement Wednesday.
"I remain very concerned about the influence of Daniel Kinahan over international boxing," Farry, a member of parliament for Northern Ireland's Alliance Party, said.
"There are major issues both for Governments and the boxing authorities," when it comes to Kinahan, he added.
Kinahan is an adviser to prominent athletes at the MTK Global company he founded, as well as fighters not affiliated with MTK, the Panorama TV show "Boxing and the Mob" alleged earlier this week.
MTK maintains that it has no formal relationship with Kinahan but acknowledges he "provides personal advice to a number of boxers managed by MTK Global," the BBC reported.
Kinahan is one of boxing's most powerful figures and is well-known in his native Ireland. Authorities there suspect he runs a crime cartel that has generated over $1 billion in revenues, as Insider previously detailed.
The Irish Times reported that in May 2020 a court accepted evidence that the Kinahan organized crime group specialized in "execution-type murders" to "protect its core activities" in the drugs and weapons trade.
Kinahan has never been convicted of a crime and is at liberty to arrange boxing's most lucrative bouts from his residence in Dubai.
He was announced last year as the kingmaker in a two-fight series between prominent heavyweight champions Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
His grip on international boxing alarmed politicians in multiple countries at the time the fight series - which is yet to take place - was announced.
Farry told Insider last year that he wanted to know "what can be done to ensure proper international governance around professional boxing," as the sport was failing to govern itself by dealing freely with Kinahan.
He said at the time that the British government was "dismissive" of the idea of getting involved with how the fight game is run in the UK.
The British Boxing Board of Control, the body tasked with overseeing boxing in the UK, told The Guardian it was powerless to stop Kinahan from operating.
In his statement this week to Insider, Farry pointed to his longstanding concerns, saying: "Last year, I raised some of these issues with the UK Government and the response was dismissive."
"I now intend to table a series of follow up questions."
Farry then congratulated the Panorama on its coverage of Kinahan, which is the latest look into a long-running story that hounds combat sport.
People in boxing are 'terrified' of Kinahan
Two Insider sources in the boxing industry alleged that Kinahan rules boxing using fear and bullying, for example.
"I'm not scared of a lot of people ... but I'm scared of those people," one source with knowledge of Kinahan's dealings said.
Such allegations have been made before.
Stephen Breen, The Sun's crime reporter and the co-author of The Cartel - a book that heavily features Kinahan - told Insider last year that one of his sources claimed Kinahan "ruled through fear."
Breen told Insider that his boxing industry source said in 2018 that he had "various dealings with Daniel Kinahan, and they were adamant that Daniel Kinahan was a bully and that boxers were terrified of him because of his name."
Breen said: "The person I spoke to about Daniel Kinahan's personality said he was very controlling, he was coercive, and, to young boxers, he could easily manipulate them.
"I can see how his personality in organized crime - where it is about control, it's about power, coercion, and letting people know who is in charge - would transfer to his personality in boxing," he added.
A representative for Kinahan didn't respond to Insider's request for comment on the allegations in this story.