Don King caused my defeat to Abner Mares – Joseph Agbeko

Former IBF Bantamweight champion Joseph Agbeko has blamed renowned boxing agent Don King for his defeat to Abner Mares in 2011.

With the first bout ending in a controversial defeat to the Ghanaian, Agbeko was presented with a chance to reclaim his title four months later.

However, Agbeko was once again beaten by the Mexican and he believes his agent caused the defeat.

Speaking to Graphic Sports on events leading up to the bout, Agbeko said that Don King sold the right to stage the bouts to his opponent and that affected his chances.

Agbeko said his decision to seek justice from the court over his agent’s treatment stalled his progress.

“So many things happen in fights which people don’t know,” Agbeko told Graphic Sports. “My promoter at the time, Don King, was supposed to team up with Golden Boy to stage the fight but that didn’t happen.

“I got to know at the last minute that the fight had been sold to my opponent’s camp and that allowed them to take over the bout,” he revealed.

“I was frustrated after the second fight with Mares so I decided to take Don King to court after realising the negative people around me.

“I decided to take the case out of court because it was stalling my career and prevented me from fighting for two years,” he concluded.