Boxxer began legal action against its head of boxing, John Wischhusen, earlier this month
A boxing promotion firm has been granted a temporary injunction against one of its executives amid a High Court battle over claims that he breached his contract. Boxxer began legal action against its head of boxing, John Wischhusen, earlier this month.
The company claims Mr Wischhusen “actively undermined” its efforts to renew a multimillion-pound broadcast deal with Sky Sports, and separately spoke with Sky representatives about an “alternative venture” in breach of his contract, which it says was agreed in January 2024. At a hearing on September 12, barristers for Boxxer asked for a temporary injunction blocking the 65-year-old from working for other “boxing-related” schemes or speaking to Sky Sports about boxing ventures, other than for Boxxer’s benefit, until a trial of the breach of contract claim later this year.
Mr Wischhusen disputes ever agreeing to the contract and denies the allegations, with his barristers claiming the injunction would prevent him from working in the industry. In a ruling on Friday, Mrs Justice Hill said she would “make the order sought” by Boxxer.
She said: “The risk of harm to the defendant if it is later found that the injunction ought not to have been granted is relatively remote.” Mr Wischhusen had previously offered a “compromise” which his lawyers claimed would resolve the dispute.
This would have seen him agree not to contact any fighter contracted to Boxxer, correspond with a promoter or broadcaster in relation to a Boxxer fighter, or contact any of its staff. But Mrs Justice Hill said this offer “does not address the issues underpinning this injunction and does not sufficiently hold the ring until trial”.
In a statement after the ruling, Boxxer said: “We welcome this outcome which fully upholds our position and recognises the seriousness of the issues at stake. Boxxer will always take the necessary steps to protect its rights, its fighters and its business.”
In written submissions for the hearing in London earlier this month, Tom Cleaver, for Boxxer, said Mr Wischhusen began working for the company in 2020 and played a key role in agreeing a broadcast deal between Boxxer and Sky in 2021. The barrister continued that a written contract was put forward in January 2024, which it is claimed Mr Wischhusen verbally agreed to.
Mr Wischhusen told the company he would leave Boxxer earlier this year, at around the same time Sky said it would not renew the 2021 deal, with Mr Cleaver claiming the company discovered Mr Wischhusen was working for a competitor, in breach of his contract.
Ognjen Miletic, for Mr Wischhusen, said in court that his client “strongly denied” Boxxer’s claims that he had both agreed to and breached the contract. In his evidence, Mr Wischhusen said Sky decided not to renew the contract due to “various disputes and allegations”.
He said that while he was sent a “draft consultancy agreement”, he did not look at it, and after concluding Sky would not renew the broadcast deal as early as May 2024, he did not agree to it as it was “redundant and irrelevant”. While admitting he deleted some emails as he “panicked”, Mr Wischhusen claimed the details discussed were to help Boxxer rather than a rival promoter.
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