Daniel Kinahan: King of Spin (Part 3)

[00:00:01]This is Daniel Kinahan, King of Spin, a four-part crime world special, part three, all out propaganda war. Now, at the end of part two, we were discussing all that was going on in Ireland as regards the feud and how the Guardi were really starting to dismantle the Kahan's organization here. While in the meantime, Daniel Kahan was continuing with this propaganda campaign and a lot of the boxers were coming forward with positive things for him to uh positive things about him. Um MTK continues to expand and expand and expand and you know it's fascinating now looking back on these kind of things that happened because at the tail end of 2018 it was announced that a guy called Bob Yan was to be the new president of MTK Global. Now, he was a sort of a boxing megastar and a member of the US Hall of Fame. He was obviously an American coming to the table because all the time you can see MTK sort of moving into the US market um while also developing the market around the United Arab Emirates.

[00:01:07]But Yalan is one of the biggest names in boxing boxing.

[00:01:11]>> Yeah. and they're starting to sign up big American fighters like Daniel Crawford who is probably one of the the prime up and cominging boxers in the world and yeah Bobby Allen is giving them this air respectability I suppose because he's so such an established figure and in an interview which it on the Leave it to the ring podcast which is one of the biggest boxing podcasts going he speaks in glowing turns about Daniel Kennan because while Daniel Kennan is kind of a sideh Joe and some of his reputation has seeped over. And he says, "In fairness to Daniel, I've met few people who have a fighter's interest at heart more than Daniel. He may admit that he may not have got gone about certain things in the right way, but there was never anything malicious.

[00:01:58]When I speak to him, he is all about what is best for the fighters and what can be done for the fighter. I can't fault him for that." and he goes on to say that the Irish media have made a big deal about a few incidents.

[00:02:11]>> Now, the other big announcement he makes on that podcast, um, Leave It in the Ring, is that this lucrative new deal has been made with the Walt Disney Company, ESPN. This is the absolute pinnacle of of MTK. MTK is really really becoming something um that is a sort of a it's going to be a world powerhouse for boxing but they're sort of about to enjoy this spectacular launch launch in the US and Kahan in the background is still concentrated on all that went on in Dublin in the Regency hotel and it's around this time towards the end of 2018 that this bizarre kind of a book is produced and It's available for free on the internet.

[00:02:58]>> Yes, it was a it was a very strange development, Nicola indeed. Um, Blood Feud is what it was called and um it was it was first tweeted in an anonymously.

[00:03:09]>> Yeah.

[00:03:09]>> Um but then a lot of boxers started tweeting it and um yeah, it made for some very interesting reading. Um one of the key cartel associates, Johnny Morrisy, was actually one of the first people to tweet it. Yeah. But it basically painted um Daniel Kinahan in a you know in this kind of very good light and it had loads of conspira conspiracy theories basically suggesting things like the media and the government and um everyone was in cahoots with the hutch gang. I have an actual extract of it here. I'll give a read out of it. It give a bit of a flavor of it. Um it's a direct quote from the um from the bloodfeuded book if you like. Um, it states, "The Hutch gang made a deal with a handful of corrupt senior police officers. They agreed they agreed to stage their attack against the Kinhen gang to look like a Republican terrorist attack. In return, the senior police officer agreed to keep police officers from the Regency Hotel both before and during the attack. And obviously, there must have been an agreement to limit the prosecutions after the event." So that's kind of a flavor of the conspiracy theories that were contained throughout the uh publication >> and like it sort of even suggested that the emergency services were in cahoots with the plot.

[00:04:28]>> Yes.

[00:04:28]>> And and it was sanctioned by the then the shock and Kenny. I mean to the normal person it's crazy stuff.

[00:04:34]Absolutely crazy stuff. But somebody had gone to the lengths of and it was like it wasn't a booklet. It was you know I don't think it was probably 80,000 words but it was damn near it. Well written.

[00:04:45]somebody had commissioned it and somebody had published it for free and anonymously. Um, >> it was 157 pages, I think, total. So, you're talking about at least half of a regular book. And it was clearly written by somebody with some degree of journalistic experience or professional writing.

[00:05:03]>> No doubt.

[00:05:04]>> It wasn't like the whistleblower account that we've spoken about. And it was a re like the it it also it it obviously had inside information because it did have some details that while many of them might be in dispute, it had some facts in it that other people wouldn't have known. And the conspiracy theory, I mean, even in that bit you read out, Ken, it doesn't stand up obviously because prosecutions did flow and may yet continue to flow from the regency.

[00:05:32]um it it you know this idea that the the state agreed not to prosecute anybody simply >> didn't happen >> didn't happen no >> and I mean and really at the core of it was that that Ender Kenny h allowed this to go ahead in order to drag Shinfane into what it's I think it says uh to drag Shinfane into the Regency house attack media storm because they were about to win the general election >> and it just shows the importance that Daniel Kahan put himself in um you know, we spoke in an earlier episode as he's talking to you about the possibility of doing an interview and he's talking about um you know, how much how many subscribers uh you're going to get for anytime he opens his mouth. This sense of self-importance is enormous. I think we can see the ego here is pretty much off the scale, >> off the charts. And it is a fair comment to say that what's in um what what's in uh Blood Feud reflects some of what Daniel Kinhan actually said in relation um to his thoughts on what happened in the Regency. Crazy as some of it is.

[00:06:40]>> Yeah, for sure. It's it's his big interview, isn't it? In in an anonymously packaged book. Now, what follows from that is early 2019, and maybe he feels he's got his narrative out there because MTK ends this year-long ban on uh the global, you know, their boxers speaking to the Irish media, and they had also said they weren't signing up any more Irish boxers. And they state, "We are a truly global company, but Irish boxing will always remain close to the heart of MTK.

[00:07:10]It would be nice to be free to operate there as we do in every other country in the world and my hope is that the Irish press will support our efforts to do so.

[00:07:19]Now the company is at this point pushing into Kazakhstan, South Africa, China and India where the fights could be filmed and sent back to pay-per-view format which is going to make them a huge amount of money. But at the same time, the ambition in Ireland hasn't been left behind because they are hoping that they will be able to pitch Chantel Cameron, who's also been taken out of the Barry Mcwigan stable against Katie Taylor and there's kind of agitation about a kind of, you know, will they fight and etc, etc. So in July 2019, MTK and Top Rank announced this boxing extravaganza in Nur Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan. And Bob Arum says about it, the future of boxing is global. It's a sport understood by people around the world. We're pleased to be working with MTK Global in our mutual effort to globalize the sport on a major basis.

[00:08:14]But back home in Ireland, there is still problems for them. You know, it's not being ignored what's happened. And I think um the former assistant commissioner John O'Driscoll Ken gives an interview around this possible Cameron Taylor bout.

[00:08:28]>> He does and it's it's one of m the late uh John O'Driscoll. It's one of many public um I suppose comments that he made over the years. He he was probably the lead investigator. Well, he was the lead investigator into the cartel at this stage. But um he he's he's kind of using words like in his interview about it's particularly regrettable that organized crime and he used the word has hijacked boxing.

[00:08:51]>> Um and to to quote what he actually said, he says uh organ or organized crime groups have caused huge damage in their own communities and they've destroyed destroyed lives within their own neighborhoods by supplying drugs.

[00:09:03]But it's particularly regrettable that they are also suspected of causing significant damage to a sport associated with workingclass areas too.

[00:09:12]>> Yeah. And of course, you know, he cites Kelly Harrington as a reminder of everything the sport of boxing should be about.

[00:09:18]>> He does. And then he goes on uh to to speak about um something we've touched on before about their um interventions basically to save lives. And he points out at that point um and he was talking about the feud. It wasn't just that particular year. Um at that stage of 2018 they had the the guarded national drugs and organized crime bureau had done 63 of these interventions to save lives.

[00:09:42]>> So >> now the next thing that happens with MTK is this golden contract. Uh so sort of explain that if you can. It's September 2019.

[00:09:52]>> Yeah. So this is when MTK really are hitting their their biggest deals and we know bits about these deals actually actually subsequently because some of the information has been featured in other court cases but basically they announced this golden contract tournament to be shown on Sky Sports in association with Eddie Hearn's matchu boxing. Now, uh there are Daniel had had some relationship with Eddie Hearn, who's effectively uh the biggest boxing promoter in the UK as well. And you know, they've they seem to have had a a good relationship and MTK are now effectively in with the biggest people on both sides of the Atlantic and Sky and ESPN are agreeing to to to work with them. Although they will subsequently say they were never had any dealings with Daniel Kinahan, but we do know from people within Top Rank that that Top Rank were in regular contact with Daniel Kenan who was making decisions on behalf of MTK Global.

[00:10:51]>> So let's just take a moment and see where we're at with the sort of the investigation, the criminal investigation into the cartel side of things into Kahan's men both here and in the UK. Where are we at at this point?

[00:11:03]So, we're I suppose at this point we're at we're going into 2019 and there's a lot of active investigations going on.

[00:11:11]Um, this is I think it's January of this year in over in the UK. Very significant arrest. Uh, Thomas Bomber Kavanaaugh who was basically the head of the UK um side of business for the cartel. He would later um ultimately be jailed for 22 years. um in terms of the feud with in terms of murders on the street with so many people locked up. Um the actual life-saving interventions, the figure was actually down was significantly down on previous years. Um and then we had some um crazy developments as well, I suppose, and tragic as well. We had the trial of Patrick Hutch um for the Regency Hotel murder of David Burn. Um, and in in tragic and kind of unprecedented circumstances, that trial collapsed after the very sad death of the lead investigator in the case, Colum Fox. Um, and there was also, I suppose, tension was still on the streets. Um, there was a a Tyson Fury event that was meant to happen in the Helix in North Dublin. Had to be postponed. I think that was in February. Um and it was also a similar event that was due to happen in Cork. Um sinister kind of graffiti anti- uh kinhin graffiti went up. So it was never stated that why it was postponed but you would have to think it was for um safety reasons. So so all these that's just a flavor of some of the things that were happening in the space.

[00:12:42]>> So MTK were sort of trying to filter in with maybe not not calling themselves MTK but their own boxers holding events.

[00:12:48]And there had been another um uh thing planned in in City West that had to be cancelled. Yes. Was there boxers were hoping to to to fight.

[00:12:58]>> Um his propaganda war nonetheless continues and April 2020 this rapper Jay Spades launches major plans.

[00:13:09]>> Good tune actually.

[00:13:12]In February 2016, a gang of fire burst into the Regency Hotel in North Dublin during a boxing weighin. The three men were disguised as members of the emergency response unit. One was wearing a flat cap and the other dressed as a woman. They entered the venue and opened fire. Their target was the international crime boss Daniel Kinan. Imagine a lifestyle where the feds want to kill you. Guns coming after you. That's government issue. Today you're legit and you're business official, but back then you went through some [ __ ] like tissue.

[00:13:42]Big moves, big money coming in front door might be the feds running in in Ireland in the street hustling and doubling making sure that your money.

[00:13:57]So now the song that song that we've we've just listened to there an extract of it was announced by tweets tagging journalists and particularly again from Billy Joe Saunders who comes into this story a lot as a propagandist for Daniel Kenahan as a right-hand man for Tyson Fury and in his own right I think he's a pretty successful boxer but he seems to have an awful lot of time to be on social media and to be trying to speak with or certainly connect with journalists and to uh to alert them in case anybody had missed that rapper uh Jay Spade's major plan song that you know just to tell them hey this is here.

[00:14:34]Um again we see a large number of anonymous Twitter accounts from Scotland retweeting that song as they try to to get it out there. And Saunders himself writes uh about the song. An attack on boxing is an attack on all of us. Four years since a man was killed and two others seriously injured at a boxing event in front of children. the police, government, and media have a lot to answer for. Sounds like a similar narrative than what we had in a much lengthier form in Blood Feud. And really the the the words of the song by Jay Spades tells us this same thing again.

[00:15:07]>> Yeah. And it actually it actually steps up the the propaganda actually because in blood feud it sort of doesn't deny that Daniel Kennan is a bit mixed up in crime. it sort of accepts that the there is such a thing as the Kenan's involved in in drug dealing, but as the propaganda steps up, Daniel becomes a totally and utterly innocent man who just wants to promote a bit of boxing and is being picked on. And but it's the same conspiracy, this idea that all of these people uh got involved, >> including the government, uh to pick on poor Reed Daniel, I suppose. Now you can really see how this is picking up because a month later there's a photograph of Darren Till who's the first MMA fighter signed to MTK and he's photographed with Daniel Kenan in Dubai.

[00:15:54]Um kind of some sort of a obviously it's not a selfie. Somebody's held a a camera taken a picture of them. They have the Dubai skyline in the background. But the I think the um significance of it is this is the first time we have seen a picture of Daniel Kinahan a in Dubai and B since he was photographed at the funeral of David Burn.

[00:16:12]>> Yes. And God that was what that's almost four four years of a gap. And it also I suppose it also showed how much this business was expanding now that he you know he's photographed with somebody from another discipline and high profile within that area as well.

[00:16:30]>> So does it sort of show us that uh like you know again that is put out there and of course the media will all run stories around it. Certainly in Ireland in particular, you know, here's the first photograph of Daniel Kinnan since the Regency 2016. Is he sort of shooting himself in the foot there because he's doing exactly what he would later tell you he didn't want to do, which is hand over anything of himself to the media that would would help them sell or >> I mean look, we do know that the there is a PR agencies involved at this point in Dubai that he is in he has hired people that have, you know, that have expertise in that area. This is definitely put out because they start appearing all the time and with each one, >> you know, you you don't just get the picture, you get a a couple of lines, for example. Um, and he gets lots of feedback with this. And this includes uh Danny Vaughn, who's one of the the premier trainers of MTK and obviously married to Sandra Vaughn, who's running the company in name. He says about Daniel, he has changed the lives of many boxers and trainers with his advice and his vast boxing knowledge. I hope he continues for a long time.

[00:17:39]>> The next thing that happens is Jay Spades does an interview with TV and he discusses Kenahan and the injustices of the Regency attack. I do recall watching this and wondering what a guy he's from London. Yeah.

[00:17:50]>> Was he Birmingham or London? But anyway, >> had any interest intricacies of what was going on in Dublin's, you know, north inner city, etc. It was it was a bizarre thing. Nonetheless, the man had written a song and performed it. I'm sure that takes quite a while. Now, we're going to move back to you, Ken, here because we mentioned this in our first episode about this uh high court case that you had actually written about. So, lawyers for Sandra and Danny Vaughn and MTK secure a high court order in London stating that the operator of the whistleblower account, which we've discussed is some sort of a hutch linked anonymous account, which is attacking Kinhan all the time, calling him an agent, calling him an informer, etc., and um giving up some of the secrets of some of his uh past life that that account could be jailfinded or have their assets seized if they continue.

[00:18:44]Now, the Vaughn on MTK see this as a win, but in actual fact, nobody defended that. No one from the whistleblower account showed up. So, essentially, they went to the high court with with money to do this and it was an uncontested liel action. um if no one from the whistleblower was obviously going to show up because then they would have detailed who they were. Um, so they basically went into court and got this order and the high court judge Nicole Ballard ruled that a person unknown should stop publishing. Um, uh, in quotes, words that could be considered to mean that the claimants are a connected with organized crime acting as a front for illegal drug smuggling operation or b support, sponsor and associate knowingly with murderers, drug dealers, organized crime uh, sorry, criminals. So this is the case that you're speaking about with Daniel Kenahan, why he actually comes on the phone to you because he likes the way you report on this.

[00:19:39]>> Yeah. Well, I suppose it was just a matter of we reported it kind of straight >> and um some of my colleagues I suppose took a different you know just and they're well entitled to of course they were were um just a different slant on it and we just played it straight. We we stated what the judge said. we we didn't really add anything or take anything from it. Um and yeah, a few months later as it transpired, um Daniel Kinan was very happy with that article, he actually um in in that conversation, he was describing it as fair. He said that a number of times actually. So yeah, um I do think that >> the the way um we had covered that court case directly um was kind of directly led to him being prepared to talk on the phone to me on that day.

[00:20:29]>> It's interesting though, isn't it? For all is I don't care what people write about me. I mean at at this moment he's signing these multi-million dollar deals with boxers. his his associates in the criminal world are getting done, but he's still quite focused on the whistleblower Twitter account who's can't spell to save his life. It it is an interesting bit of his psychological >> Yes.

[00:20:52]>> profile, isn't it?

[00:20:53]>> The whistleblower, of course, replies to this news story about this high court case. Good stuff. So, >> the whistleblower continued.

[00:21:01]>> And the whistleblower continues. Yes. So in May of 2020, the the third prong of this, you know, I suppose these I mean the book has cost money. The rap has certainly um you know if if if Jay Spades was actually paid to do it or if he did it independently, we don't know.

[00:21:20]But um these things cost a lot of money, especially production. But 2020 the the Regency Hotel film was released on YouTube. Now the production values in it are really high. Yeah. And this is the sort of the the film of the conspiracy.

[00:21:36]>> Yeah. It's it's what they call a docu drama like. So they're not just putting together old footage, stitching it together, and having somebody read it read over it. They're actually hire actors. They film in Dublin. They have extras. They have a lead, a guy playing Daniel Kahan. Um so you're talking I mean we can pick we can only guess, but you're tens of thousands of euros.

[00:21:57]There's no doubt it would cost to make something like that. Um it's a 15minute long. It's shot on locations. Daniel, there's a particularly handsome version of Daniel, isn't there in it as well?

[00:22:09]>> Handsome. Yeah.

[00:22:10]>> Yeah. I mean, you can see that um uh you know it it's so ultimately it's posted anonymously from the UK, but it's hosted by a company called SC Scarcity Studios.

[00:22:22]and Orty. He later would track them down that they're based in Birmingham in the UK and post crime and music commentaries on various social media channels. And RT uh tell that it was made by an independent production company, but a scarcity spokesman says that they were contacted out of the blue and asked to post the material on condition of anonymity. And it also says that it was not paid, but it wanted to publish it so people can make up their own mind. um make up their own minds. So basically >> and I think people made up their own minds that this was another uh form of propaganda coming from the Kenan stable.

[00:23:00]>> Yeah. I mean again it's the it follows the same conspiracy but you know and it focuses on um it you know some of the the interesting bits of it is you know Daniel Kinnan is shown to be really worried about the families of the boxers as he comes in and he he's really concerned that they're going to be killed and um you know >> no police protection in Dublin. police and it actually if you look at it from blood feud to the rap to this Daniel gets more and more noble as as the the propaganda goes on.

[00:23:29]>> As a complete aside, why does Daniel Kenahan always feel he should have police protection? I mean way back when Jamie Moore was shot outside his home in uh Estapona Marba, he actually got a lawyer to call for him to have police squad civil protection around his house.

[00:23:47]It's a kind of a strange juxiposition for somebody who who feels they're in danger because >> clearly because they're involved in high level organized crime but that the guardy or the police in whatever country should surround them in a protective role.

[00:24:04]>> Yeah, that's very very odd.

[00:24:06]>> It is. It is. Now around this time Bob Arum is interviewed on TV and this is upping the ante even further. Um, and you can see the confidence that's happening in the background with Kinahan about his role. And he speaks about Kenahan and he actually says that he's actively working on getting Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in the ring together.

[00:24:28]And he adds, "Our relationship with MTK has been tremendous and particularly with Dan who was the original founder of MTK and now is still an adviser to them and in effect our adviser regarding the Middle East. Everyone trusts Kenahan with handling situations. So Dan is like the captain when it comes to the practicalities of doing a fight in the Middle East. Kinhan is one of my favorite guys because I like to deal with guys, nononsense people whose word is their bond and that's what it's been with Dan. I think Dan's influence is tremendous because people trust him. Now you could wonder at that point Bob Arum is a certain is he in his 90s at this point?

[00:25:06]>> Probably in his late 80s >> certainly his late 80s you know you wonder is this sanctioned or not? I think everything that happens as regards Kenahan's name coming into the arena, the public arena is sanctioned because you can see what happens next. So Bob Arum has made those comments at a time when Sandra Vaughn has not only denied that there is absolutely any connections whatsoever to Daniel Kinnan. But there have been legal letters sent out to the media. There has been a ban on the Irish media because they persistently say that Kinahan is still involved in the background and as a founder. Bob Arum is saying this publicly. So it's a complete flip. This is a Trumpian type thing, isn't it? You know, that's happening here. And of course, very shortly afterwards, Kinahan himself in May 2020 is named as the new adviser to a sports company backed by Bahrain's royal family. The company is called KHK Sports. It was founded in 2015 by Shik Khaled bin Hammad Al- Khalifa, who's the fifth son of the ruler. And the company describes Kinahan as the international boxing power broker. Now, this is going to be a short-lived position for him.

[00:26:13]>> Yeah. Because of course it does cause controversy um because it does in in there's bad timing for him in in one way because it comes in the same week the special criminal court named the Kenyan organized crime group as a murderous gang that directed the planned assass assassination of Paty Hutch. So the names are starting to come out in Irish court appearances. Obviously we they were mentioned in the cab files that was the first time they were named in a in a criminal trial.

[00:26:41]>> I actually think what happened in Bahrain was the you know so he's this the fifth son of the ruler. I think somebody above him >> googled Daniel Kenahan and went what the hell is happening here? And he was sacked quicker than he actually you know he was 5 days in place in that job.

[00:26:55]>> Yeah. And you see what's happening as well is there's there's a certain degree of greed from the boxing world because they're struggling to make money in the pay-per-view in the US and they see this gold mine over in the Middle East and Kinhan is is acting as a I suppose a broker between those two worlds and they're you know top rank as much as anybody. They're looking to put on those fights and start making some of that pro dollar money get that flowing back into them. Now the next thing Ken that happens is Sandra as I mentioned there like Bob Arum has come out with these comments that completely contradict what she has said and her actions and even going to the high court uh in London but she comes out and gives an interview again to TV which seems to be a constant here um and she sort of goes back on what she's previously said.

[00:27:43]>> Yeah. Well, look, she to to put it lightly, she very much stands up for for Daniel. Um, and to quote her, um, in that interview, she said that um, I've known him for 20 years. I'm personal friends with his wife. I know the kids and they are a credit to him. He is an astute businessman. I will go to him for advice on anything and have done so. Not just about MTK, but also about other business interests I have had. Even though he's a lot younger, he's a lot wiser than me. Whether the Irish media like it or not, he is now one of the most powerful men in boxing and combat sport, they really need to suck it up.

[00:28:16]At some point, would you not be proud that someone from inner city Dublin is sitting at a table with that level of the organization? He's making history, making fights. That is a fact.

[00:28:27]>> So, look, that's it.

[00:28:29]>> Pretty robust defense. And I suppose as Nile was saying there, don't this is the time that the uh Kinan cartel were first named in a criminal court case. And you're saying there, you know, he didn't last so long in that job. Um, the pressure even, this is a very robust defense from, you know, someone who is very well known and respected in the boxing industry, but the pressure was starting to to mount on Daniel at this particular point.

[00:28:58]>> I think his confidence was also mounting though too because what he's actually doing is he's coming out of the shadows.

[00:29:04]You know, bit by bit, he's going to come out and stand there. He wants to take ownership of what he's done. You know, he's working in the background with Tyson Fury. He's done these deals with the Americans, with Bob Arum, with Walt Disney, with Sky, with all these big huge major media companies. He has made MTK one of the most important um uh companies in the world of boxing on both sides of the Atlantic. And he wants to own it. But because they have denied any involvement with him, they have to try and do this slowly and in what he believes is a very clever way. Now, Vaughn sort of is contradicting her earlier claims of having no business links to Kenahan. Um, you know, back when she threatened that legal action on anybody who linked her to him. And in the statement to the high court, she's denied that he had anything to do with MTK. and she has given that statement on oath to the high court and yet is sitting now saying well you know yeah >> he is he's my adviser >> she's not quite saying he's still absolutely involved they they're giving a little tiny little window >> yeah they're kind of saying that he he advises the fight fighters but he doesn't get involved in the actual uh you know the the running of the company it's a >> it's an adviser and what he goes on I think to describe is that he does it for free. Yes, >> he doesn't get paid, you know, he it's just out of the kindness of his heart.

[00:30:32]It's just because he's so interested in boxing. And she confirms that he's the one to sign Tyson Fury to MTK. She says Daniel is an adviser to Bob Arum and that is the reason MTK managed to get dates for ESPN. He gave me the introduction to Top Rank. He wants MTK to do well. He has stepped away. He is his own person. And she said, "The Irish media reporting on Daniel Kinan is a standing joke. They're the butt of Irish jokes. That is why people make jokes about the Irish. They even contradict themselves. It's not journalism. I mean, for a guy that is really sailing, you know, into the absolute pinnacle of where he wants to be in boxing, he's still very concerned. He just cannot let Ireland go >> or the Irish media or his reputation here.

[00:31:16]>> I think it is though a type of trying to flood the zone, which Trump does, which is where, you know, you you just constantly put a lot of stuff out and because people don't pay a huge amount of attention to it. They they you know this is what the Trumpian it is a strategy where you you deny everything.

[00:31:36]You confuse matters. You get all sorts of stuff out there and most people aren't going to investigate heavily and they just think oh there's a there's a few claims about him but there's no proof. That's all they take out of it.

[00:31:45]And I think that is the strategy that he has at this stage. It's one thing Sandra Vaughn saying that he was the guy who fixed the Tyson Fur Fury and uh you know was was in the background working away trying to fix this this new fight for him, but we're just going to have a quick look at a very well-watched video selfie that Tyson Fury released.

[00:32:05]>> Hello there. I'm just after getting off the phone with Daniel Kahan. Uh he's just informed me that the biggest fight in British boxing history has just been agreed. GET UP THERE MY BOY.

[00:32:18]UH BIG shout out Dan. He got this done.

[00:32:20]Um literally over the line, twoight deal. Uh Tyson Fury versus Anthony Joshua um next year.

[00:32:29]>> Now that shout out for Kenahan, what is the significance of this and you know how how massive a moment is this?

[00:32:38]>> Well, it's looking like it's going to be the biggest fight of all time. I mean, at that at that stage, Tyson Fury is the biggest superstar in boxing. Anthony Joshua is, you know, the the number two.

[00:32:50]Um, and it's it's Daniel it's Daniel Kahan's name being put in that context and again being given this sort of praise. Um, at the end of the day, he's just a businessman who's who's done a deal. They don't normally get that level of praise. For him to be put out like that, it's him really stepping in in public into the biggest deal of all time. And there is a huge reaction to it. I think that June, Leo Vagger, who's then the T-shock speaks in the doll and says Kinan's links to Tyson Fury and says Ireland is making representations to the UAE in relation to to the Kenan organized crime group. So that's probably the first reaction I think from certainly from a politician of that who's so senior about these ties.

[00:33:36]>> I think it was a T-Shock at the time. He was >> and and in the course of the conversation it was very clear um that that particular comment by um Leo Veradkar in in the doll is something that really really pissed off um Daniel Kinhan. Um >> that's why he called him out.

[00:33:54]>> Yeah. and to the point of of claiming corruption and so on it it was look I suppose in hindsight that being said in our highest in the parliament in the doll um it ultimately that that's something that's hugely damaging and he indicated then that they at government level there was going to be uh contacts between our government and um governments in the Middle East in relation to uh this whole oxen scenario that had broken >> it gives it a it gives it an authority for it to be said in the national parliament. It also of course is protected from any liel action or defamation action because you have privilege in the doll >> parliamentary privilege >> and it's it's it's automatically it is being picked up then um at this point and you know it's starting to go around the world that that that tie to crime.

[00:34:43]>> Now it's the boxers who again show that boxing is carrying on regardless and they come out to support Kahan. um Marvin Herbert who is an interesting character who actually shows up uh in the earliest times in MGM in Marba as he's boxing and he's working as a coach.

[00:35:02]He has an interesting history but he does an interview on the James English podcast and this is what he has to say.

[00:35:08]>> Like I said like without Daniel Yeah. I wouldn't be walking. I wouldn't be here like like when I wanted to get my leg chopped off. I was sitting down with Daniel and I was in so much pain. I was suffering so much. I was wanted to get his leg chopped off and I said, "I'm going to have it chopped off." And he said, "Don't don't, mate."

[00:35:28]>> So, Kenneahan um persuaded him not to chop off his leg. Another miracle that Kenahan has has sort of uh done. He's touching the healing hands on these people and he's helping them with their mental health and everything else. And you can see they really believe that.

[00:35:42]and and and that you know a lot of these boxers really believe that that Kenahan is a kind of godlike creature to them almost. Um >> but it is a bit over the top always, isn't it? Some of the praise like it's not you know just regular sort of praise. He's he's Exactly. He's he's almost super human.

[00:35:59]>> He is. Now, in June of 2020, Bob Arum goes on news talk and he backs Kenahan again, describing him as a key, reliable negotiator for Tyson Fury's fights, who was dead honest and forthright. Aram is coming from a completely different part of the world. I don't think he's any idea of the significance of what's happening in Ireland about how you know he doesn't really care about Ireland I suppose either >> but you know he he's going on radio here news talk we can only presume that Aram is doing that of his own free will >> I think so I think he's he's very >> he's a bit eccentric >> eccentric and he's been dealing with the media for decades I mean he was Muhammad Ali's uh manager at one stage who's gone back that far and I He is probably he's definitely not reading into in detail and all he's really hearing is there's some people saying some stuff about him but there's loads of other people saying how great he is >> but he just obviously likes the sound of his >> and also there there has been you know crime and boxing has been associated for years and I mean like you know people say that about them but actually you know there you know that that's his idea >> and he would later say he thought he knew there was some allegations about Daniel but he thought that was all in the long distant past and I think What the difference with Kenan is it's not in the past. It's ongoing.

[00:37:19]>> And the reason I think that Aram is doing this of his own valition, I don't think he's been encouraged to, maybe he's been encouraged to do it, but he's certainly making up his own mind. He's not being ordered to do it, is after the UK media starts to focus on Kenahan's criminality, which starts to happen around now, Aaron pulls back a bit. Now later in an interview with the Daily Telegraph, he says, "Over the weekend, I've had a lot of conversations with Tyson, and what we both decided is that myself, Top Rank and Tyson, will do all the negotiations for fights in the future. No sign of Kenan in this. Both Tyson and I have discussed this with Dan and he's immenable and satisfied and wished us luck. He only wants the best for Tyson Fury." This is like one step in and one step out again. Yeah. So, he's obviously dipped in. He has been in what he sees savaged in the doll by Leo Veradker which he sees as being a very significant thing to happen to him despite the fact that he's so dismissive of Ireland. It's strength on the world stage and its importance in his life.

[00:38:18]He's obviously been sort of bit so he's pulling back a little bit again and they go out and they make this statement that actually Dan is just moving into the background. And we do know or we subsequently hear from other court cases that ESPN are getting a bit wobbly about the bad publicity in particular um that that they don't really want to be associated with.

[00:38:40]>> Sky Sports are getting loads of press queries as well and I'm sure it's not comfortable to a big company like that to be anyway associated with somebody like Daniel Kinahan. Now in June 2020, Yan is appointed CEO of MTK and Sandra Vaughn steps down. Yan says in one of his first interviews that Kenahan is stepping away again. So they try to reinvent the wheel here.

[00:39:02]>> Yeah.

[00:39:02]>> And you wonder why because in August 2020 they signed their first American-born fighter and they go on to announce a dozen more. They open a gym in Miami and they launch a base in Canada. The problem for them is this bad publicity. They could suffer it if it's just here. But the Americans will not and they're trying to move into America.

[00:39:21]They're trying to expand into America.

[00:39:23]And obviously you have all the RICO laws and all the other um problems that there may be there.

[00:39:28]>> Yeah. And of course they they don't know at this stage that the DEA have a huge interest in them um and a growing interest that isn't really public knowledge yet. In particular the fact that the DEA were monitoring Kenan's wedding isn't known at this point but so the American officials are aware of them and the move into there is going to be hugely controversial. And in the background, Ken, of course, Panorama is getting ready to broadcast their explosive documentary, and you're agitating for a statement.

[00:40:00]You have been listening to Daniel Kenahan, King of Spin, a Crime World four-part series. Our thanks to Ken Foy.

[00:40:08]Produced by Ian Molini. Assistant producers Khloe McPolan and Nasa Kiski.

[00:40:14]Written by Jenny Fel. Written and edited by me, Nicola Talent.