Florida Judge Grants Emergency Injunction Favoring Don King Productions Over Shine Fights
Looks like Shine Fights, who have been promoting their third MMA show featuring the Boxing VS MMA match of Din Thomas VS Ricardo Mayorga, may have just lost that main event. Broward County Circuit Court Judge Marc C. Gold heard eight hours of testimony over two days in his Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., courtroom before granting an emergency injunction in favor of Don King Productions and against a Mixed Martial Arts promoter that had planned to present an MMA event this evening in Fayetteville, N.C., headlined by former three-time world champion Ricardo Mayorga.
Mayorga has been and continues to be represented solely and exclusively by Don King Productions in a series of promotional agreements since 2001.
After hearing the judge’s verdict, Don King Productions attorney Robert Zarco advised Gold that press reports have indicated the MMA promoters plan to advise Mayorga to appear tonight regardless of his ruling. The judge gave a stern warning from the bench.
“If my orders are disobeyed, there will be serious sanctions from this court,” Gold said.
After winning the emergency injunction this afternoon, Don King had one last hurdle to clear: Florida state law required him to post a bond that Broward County Circuit Court Judge Marc H. Gold determined at $1 million. And he had to do it within two hours.
With most businesses that would help him conduct a transaction of this magnitude not operating on a Saturday, King departed the Ft. Lauderdale courthouse and returned prior to the deadline to present the judge with two duffel bags containing $1 million in cash to fulfill his obligation to the court.
“I felt like I was Clint Eastwood in a movie, speeding down the highway with a fistful of dollars,” the 78-year-old King said after successfully posting the bond.
Needless to say, this could be a massive blow to the company whose show is set to come on just HOURS from now. Stay tuned to this site for more news!
UPDATE – MMAWeekly.com is reporting that Murilo “Ninja” Rua VS David Heath has been moved up to the main event as Mayorga is definitely out, according to their twitter.
FINAL UPDATE: The event has been cancelled entirely. RIP Shine Fights, you had a good run but recovering after a blow as fatal as this one is going to be near impossible in the eyes of many unforgiving fans.
PS Thanks Don King… jerk.
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