Trust Eli Seckbach for something sensational. In his latest report, the veteran boxing reporter has dialed into shady dealings surrounding boxing’s payout practices. Not that it’s something new. But in an era where a class action suit has been brought by a group of MMA fighters against a powerful promotion like the UFC, the incident once again underscores how often fighters are at the mercy of their management for their earnings.

Though Seckbach didn’t mention any names, it revives memories of fighters accusing promoters of taking portions of their purses and filing cases. According to Seckbach, who is known for his boxing videos on YouTube, the person involved in unfair practices should be removed from the sport to make it cleaner.

Reporter drops bombshell over alleged 50 percent purse cut

Sharing a screenshot of his own tweet on Instagram, Seckbach wrote that boxing needs to get rid of the bad apples. While alleging a manager took 50 percent of a fighter’s purse, he said examples like these are bad for the sport, fighters, fans, and promoters.

“🚨🚨 Just spoke with the coach, who shared them me that 2 weeks ago here in the LA area, a well-known Boxing Manager offered a Fighter 75K for a fight while negotiating a 150K purse! Stealing 50% of the Fighters purse is wrong. Gotta get rid of this Scumb,” he wrote on X.

To set the record straight, Seckbach didn’t take any names. So apart from him, only those privy to the incident—if it’s true—should know the details better. Quite a few fans and users who came across Seckbach took it skeptically.

“If you want to help clean it up, then mention their name. Otherwise, this doesn’t help anyone,” wrote one, while another mocked, “I’ve been offered 5k to help convince a fighter to take a fight he couldn’t win. I got 1k stories.”

While Seckbach may draw more eyebrows for the suspense value than for any touch of reality, the sport has no shortage of similar stories fans still remember.

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Boxing’s past is filled with similar purse controversies

One that strongly resonates with the Seckbach account is the case of Tim Witherspoon vs. Don King. According to Witherspoon, King and his stepson Carl King pressured him into signing exclusive contracts. It included managerial deals that secretly gave Carl up to 50 percent of his purses. That was far more than many commissions allowed.

He claimed King deducted excessive fees and expenses that left him with a fraction of promised earnings, including just $90,000 from a $500,000 purse for one fight and $52,750 from a promised $150,000 payday in another. Eventually, Witherspoon sued King for $25 million in 1987. The case was later settled out of court for $1 million.

Another King case involved Iron Mike Tyson. The former heavyweight champion accused King of cheating him out of millions and sued him for $100 million in 1998. He called King “ruthless,” “deplorable,” and “greedy.” Later, as in the Witherspoon case, the lawsuit was settled out of court, with Tyson receiving $14 million.

More recently, former light welterweight titlist and now leading boxing analyst Chris Algieri raised a similar issue with his promoter over a 50/50 purse split. According to him, that was unusually high for a fighter of his stature who regularly appeared on HBO or Showtime. The dispute reportedly surfaced as Algieri agreed to a $325,000 purse to fight Errol Spence Jr. in an NBC-televised bout in Brooklyn.

Until Seckbach or other outlets highlight the individuals involved and provide more details, the reports will likely remain in the realm of speculation and continue fueling debate.