Matchroom Boxing cancelled one of its fights in England at the last minute on Saturday following suspicious betting activity in the lead-up. Aqib Fiaz and Kane Baker ultimately didn’t square off on the undercard in Birmingham’s Resorts World Arena.
While Fiaz was named in the investigation, he reportedly didn’t have direct involvement in the suspicious wagering. The 24-year-old issued a statement on social media saying he was unaware of the situation and would not comment further.
received some concerning information which led to further investigations
Matchroom Chairman Eddie Hearn said in a video on YouTube that he received some concerning information which led to further investigations by himself, his team, the UK Gambling Commission, and the British Boxing Board of Control. He decided to cancel the bout so the authorities could look into it further.
Hearn said that he was not in such a position at any point during his 15 years in promoting fights and that the organization takes the matter very seriously.
Previous Matchroom fights came under the microscope for similar reasons, but after they took place. Significant wagers were put on Dave Allen defeating Dorian Darch in the third round of their bout in February 2020. Neither boxer was found guilty of any wrongdoing.