Golden Gloves

Golden Gloves Promoter Rodney Berman has “come out fighting” in response to a number of untruthful and malicious allegations attributable to Promoter Branco Milenkovic. “Ordinarily I would ignore his (Milenkovic) pack of irresponsible allegations but not this time around” said Berman, who has just returned from the USA where he attended an IBF world lightweight title bill in Laredo, Texas.

To quote Berman extensively: “I have just returned from an overseas trip and have read various media reports relating to the court case currently in progress between Branco Milenkovic (Branco Sports Productions) and Peermont Global as well as the comments in respect thereof, by Milenkovic. Whilst the matter is obviously sub judicae and as such I am unable to comment on the action, more particularly because I have no personal knowledge thereof, I feel that it is important to rectify a number of blatant errors relating to the reporting of the matter in question” said Berman.

The CEO of GGP was at pains to forcibly air his displeasure regarding the matter and highlighted four points which clearly illustrate the misleading reports of late.

1. “Firstly, the headline to the article in one of the newspaper reports reads ‘Promoters go toe-to-toe in Court’. This is totally incorrect. The action in question relates to an action instituted by Branco Sports Productions (the Plaintiff) against Peermont Global (the Defendant) and does not in any way involve Golden Gloves Promotions. Our company is not party to the action, nor does it have any financial interest in same, one way or the other.”
2. “It is also incorrectly reported in such article that ‘Milenkovic’s lawyers `   agreed to the postponement on condition that the Defendants legal team produces a copy of Peermont’s deal with Golden Gloves’. In fact, a copy of such agreement was handed to Milenkovic’s lawyers by my attorneys in response to a subpoena which had been served on me to produce certain documentation of Golden Gloves to the Court and from what I have been given to understand, the reason for the postponement was not related to the production of such an agreement”.
3. “Apart from being incorrect, I find it distasteful that Milenkovic should state; ‘What my legal team finds distressful is that Berman did not honour his subpoena to appear in Court’. The truth of the matter is that my attorneys launched a substantive application to oppose such a subpoena which Milenkovic’s lawyers had served on me, on the basis inter alia that all the documents requested in such subpoena were personal to Golden Gloves and irrelevant to the action between Branco Sports Productions and Peermont Global but notwithstanding this application, and in the spirit of co-operation my attorneys nevertheless tendered a copy of the agreement between Golden Gloves and Peermont Global to Mr Milenkovic’s legal team.”
4. “Finally, the statement to the effect that ‘recently Milenkovic won a case against Berman over the promotional rights to South African light heavyweight champion Daniel Bruwer’ is totally untrue! The case in question related to an action instituted by Bruwer himself against Milenkovic/Branco Sports Productions and had nothing whatsoever to do with me or Golden Gloves Promotions, who were certainly not parties thereof. In fact, ironically, I personally advised Bruwer to go back to Milenkovic!”

Rodney Berman, Johannesburg, 17 August 2010.