Daniel Kinahan was recently arrested in Dubai on charges of leading a criminal organization. However, Darren Till, who has previously referred to the alleged Irish cartel boss as a friend, is now facing backlash for his recent comments about the arrest and the allegations against Kinahan.

Till, who recently signed with BKFC and is set to make his debut against Aaron Chalmers, appeared in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, where the latter highlighted Till’s difficulties in securing a U.S. visa. While Till acknowledged that he is facing challenges in obtaining a visa, Helwani questioned whether those issues could be linked to his friendship with Kinahan.

“I don’t know, mate,” Till said about his visa problem being connected to his friendship with Kinahan. “Maybe, maybe not, but I think what it boils down to is I think when I was doing my ESTA many years ago, I think I put incorrect information over a criminal conviction, so I think that’s what stopped me from getting in, but who knows, mate, I don’t think it’s tied to that because I’m not tied into any of that. 

“I was Kinahan’s friend, innit, so you can’t go to America for that, is it? … If the USA government wants you, Ariel, they’re going to get you at some point. I never used to look into it much, to be honest with you, but yeah, I just hope he’s OK. That’s all I can say about it, really… I mean, the Liverpool paper back home, they don’t ever seem to write anything positive about me. 

“But any time anything negative, my name’s always drawn on the hat there, so they made a comment that, ‘Oh, Daniel Kinahan’s been remanded or something like that and he used to manage that until blah, blah, blah. I was like, ‘Why say my name?’ But obviously they’ve never [written] one positive thing about being put negative.”

Kinahan co-founded MTK Global, the management company, with boxer Matthew Macklin in 2012, and signed Darren Till as a client. Till publicly described Kinahan as a “good friend,” praised him for giving “more valuable advice as a friend” than anyone in a professional capacity, posted photos with him, and even referenced Kinahan’s input on fights. 

Naturally, when the clip made its way to social media, people weren’t happy about Till’s comments about Kinahan, who they believe affected several lives. 

Fan asks for a permanent ban for Darren Till from the US

One user refused to believe Darren Till didn’t know what Kinahan was doing. “Till needs a permanent ban, he knew exactly what Kinahan was up to,” the user wrote. If this happens, Till can say goodbye to ever fighting in the States. 

Another user criticized Till for wishing an alleged criminal’s well-being. The user posted: “Darren Till is wishing one of the most notorious Irish Criminals in history, [who] was connected to strings of murders from the Hutch family, and innocence in the crossfire. And he hopes and wishes him well, Christ almighty, that just is not right. Kinahan was reported to be the target of the 2016 Regency Hotel Shooting in Dublin, which occurred during a boxing weigh-in, in which three people were shot, and his associate, David Byrne, was killed.

Someone else wasn’t happy about Till’s lack of regret about being friends with an alleged crime boss. “No qualms about being buddy-buddy with a vicious drug kingpin who directly and indirectly ruined many lives…he seemed almost giddy about him,” the user posed. Despite his connection to Kinahan, Till himself was never accused of any wrongdoing. 

It was no surprise to this next user that Darren Till would be friends with an alleged drug lord. “Till is a tramp, I’ve always said it. Suits him being friends with absolute dirt like Kinahans,” the user commented. Besides several run-ins with the law, in April 2019, Till was arrested in Tenerife, Canary Islands. Why? For allegedly smashing up a hotel room after being evicted and stealing a taxi while the driver was loading luggage. 

But it wasn’t all bad for Darren Till. This user praised Till for sticking by his friend. “Fair play to Darren for answering it honestly and saying they were friends. A lot of people were happy to receive finances and won’t even mention his name now,” the user wrote. While their friendship is public, there’s no evidence Till received funds from Kinahan. 

That being said, it appears Darren Till doesn’t regret his friendship with alleged mob boss Daniel Kinahan. However, that has brought a lot of negative press for the Brit. Do you think it can affect his contract with BKFC?