WBO super-middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders has come to the defense of Daniel Kinahan, a man Irish courts have named as a senior figure in organized crime. Saunders, who is managed by MTK Global — a company co-founded by Kinahan, said Ireland should “appreciate” Kinahan (per Extra.ie).
Saunders comments come after Ireland’s Taoiseach Leo Varadkar expressed his government’s outrage at Kinahan’s involvement in a forthcoming fight between Tyson Fury (another MTK client) and Anthony Joshua.
Varadkar called Kinahan a “well-known crime boss” and asked that boxing broadcasters boycott the fight. Varadkar also revealed that his government have been in contact with the United Arab Emirates regarding Kinahan.