Huni's Netflix fight hijacked by 'very petty' legal battle

Australian heavyweight boxing star Justis Huni has been caught up in a war between rival promotions after his successful comeback last weekend.

Huni returned after a 10-month absence, defeating Frazer Clarke via majority decision on the undercard of Tyson Fury's win over Arslanbek Makhmudov.

It marked the Aussie's first bout since his world title loss to Fabio Wardley last June.

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While the 27-year-old was back to his best inside the ring, things outside of it are messy.

According to veteran boxing journalist Dan Rafael, Matchroom Boxing – led by Eddie Hearn – sent a legal letter to Goldstar Promotions and Tasman Fighters claiming Huni was still under an exclusive contract with them.

The letter claimed Huni was still in the midst of a six-fight deal and competing on the Netflix card was "tortious interference" and were never informed of the Clarke bout.

"Matchroom said it tried to work things out and sent a draft amendment in recent days saying it would allow the fight under certain conditions but has not heard back from the other promoters," Rafael said via X.

Spencer Brown from Goldstar responded to the letter and hoped it would be resolved, labelling it as "very silly and "very petty" when speaking to Rafael.

https://twitter.com/DanRafael1/status/2043009384352006586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

At this stage, there is no indication the issue has been resolved.

Huni (13-1) is regarded as one of the country's best boxers after making the jump from amateur to professional level six years ago.

He was originally slated to compete at the Tokyo Olympics before withdrawing due to a broken hand – an injury he aggravated during a 2021 win over NRL legend Paul Gallen. 

In the main event at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a returning Fury put long-time rival Anthony Joshua on notice as talks continue for a blockbuster bout.