Channel 5 insist they have no ties to Daniel Kinahan despite promoter Kalle Sauerland’s claims

Channel 5 are adamant they have no ties to Daniel Kinahan despite previous claims from promoter Kalle Sauerland that he is an ‘old friend’ of the alleged gang lord.

Sauerland, who is the head of global boxing for the powerful sports agency Wasserman, is fronting a show in London on Friday that is being screened by the broadcaster. The card at The O2 will be Wasserman Boxing’s first of five planned appearances on the channel this year.

It comes at a time of immense turmoil for boxing, with the sport under scrutiny for its connections to Kinahan, who last month had a $5million bounty put on his head by the US government amid accusations that he leads an international drugs and money-laundering cartel.

Channel 5 are adamant they have no ties to Daniel Kinahan (pictured), the alleged gang lord

Sauerland has been among the prominent voices in the sport who previously spoke in favourable terms about Kinahan. 

In an online interview with IFL TV that pre-dated the US sanctions imposed on Kinahan, and which now appears to have been deleted, Sauerland said: ‘I go back a long way with Daniel.

‘I not only work in boxing with him, but I am very close with him outside of boxing, a very old friend. There is a lot of b******t out there. We are in a day and age of sensationalist crap and everyone loves a gangster story.’

Promoter Kalle Sauerland claimed that he was an ‘old friend’ of Kinahan, but said he has ‘zero’ ongoing business links to him and that the two men have never co-promoted fighters together

There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Sauerland, who on Thursday said he has ‘zero’ ongoing business links to Kinahan. 

He told Sportsmail in a statement: ‘I can confirm we have zero business dealings with the individuals on the (sanctioning) list. I can also confirm that we have never co-promoted any fighters together.’

When Channel 5 was asked by Sportsmail if it was satisfied that no fighter, promoter or manager associated with Kinahan would be involved in their broadcasts, they said in a brief statement: ‘The Channel 5 boxing contract is with Wasserman and not the Sauerland brothers. Neither Channel 5 or Wasserman Boxing have any business association, contractually or otherwise, with Daniel Kinahan.’