In combat sports, fighters clashing with their promoters is nothing new. But an influencer boxer is currently embroiled in a bitter dispute with his promoter over unpaid dues. The disagreement has escalated to the point where the promoter has even blocked him.  

A British professional boxer and influencer named Idris Virgo has accused the owner of Fame Fighting Championship of failing to pay his outstanding dues. He shared their private WhatsApp conversation on X, showing multiple attempts by Virgo to call the promoter that eventually led to the promoter threatening to block him.

“If you call me one more time, I will block you,” the person replied.

In the caption of the post, Virgo revealed that he repeatedly tried to contact the promoter but eventually found himself blocked, with his payment dispute still unresolved.

“Fame Fighting CEO,” Virgo wrote on X. “I’ve been trying to resolve my outstanding fight expenses privately for months. Instead of getting the payment sorted, this is where we’re at my number blocked. I’ve got the messages, receipts and evidence of the expenses I’m still waiting to be reimbursed for.

“I gave plenty of opportunity for this to be handled privately. I just want what I’m owed. Do you really think blocking me makes the problem disappear?”

As of now, Idris Virgo hasn’t shared any details regarding how much he is owed. In fact, he didn’t name the Fame Fighting CEO, Eugen Lopez, in his post. However, the British boxer and influencer was knocked out by fellow influencer Oliver Ginkel at a Fame Fighting event in October last year, and that appears to be the fight for which he claims he is still owed payment.

Outside of the 33-year-old, there are no reports of anyone else accusing Lopez of withholding their money. Meanwhile, the Fame Fighting chief hasn’t revealed any details about the dispute, other than blocking the fighter, of course. So, as we can see, there are still plenty of details left to uncover.

Coming to the influencer boxer himself, Idris Virgo is actually a reality TV star who had his breakout moment on a popular show called Love Island. He participated in the UK version of the show in 2018. After that, ‘The Bodybreaker’ started fighting and made his boxing debut at Tommy Owens’ Top Boxing Promotions later that same year.

Soon after, he started competing in Misfits Boxing, and interestingly, he faced former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson under the promotion, beating him via unanimous decision in 2024.

Though a promoter ghosting a fighter over unpaid dues is definitely unusual, it’s not the first time fighters and promoters have been entangled in such disputes. In fact, two of the UFC’s biggest names have accused their promoter of withholding payments, and they even took the matter to court.

Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal sued Fanmio over payment issues after boxing match

Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal’s rivalry, which gave birth to the BMF belt in 2019, found a new chapter two years ago. At UFC 244, ‘Gamebred’ beat the Stockton native to become the inaugural BMF champion. However, in 2024, Diaz finally got his revenge in a boxing match, beating Masvidal by majority decision.

The UFC stars’ rematch ended up drawing far fewer PPV numbers, and that’s why their relationship with the event’s broadcaster quickly turned sour. According to a report from MMA Fighting, Nate Diaz sued Fanmio president Solomon Engel for allegedly withholding his agreed $9 million purse.

The lawsuit alleged that Engel agreed to pay Diaz $1 million upfront, with the remaining amount making up the $10 million purse, which ultimately turned into a costly dispute for the broadcaster.

Well, Fanmio dismissed Diaz’s lawsuit as “frivolous” and claimed it had already paid the “seven figures” that were negotiated. But that wasn’t the end of the saga. Last year, a report from ESPN stated that a court ordered Fanmio to pay Jorge Masvidal more than $5 million after the former BMF champion filed a separate lawsuit.

It’s unclear whether their lawsuits have been settled. However, the dispute between Virgo and his promoter is yet to take a legal turn, and it remains to be seen whether the law could eventually become involved in their ongoing dispute.