Tyner: Airfare and No Pay were Issues

Tyner: Airfare and No Pay were Issues
Posted: February 18, 2008

Friday's pro card at Dearborn's Performing Arts Center - the second in recent months - has generated more animosity between Detroit's two premiere welterweights, Lanardo Tyner and Vernon Paris.

As the card changes, as they always do, news from co-promoters Heavy Hitter Promotions suggests that Tyner (19-0-0, 11 KO) was originally scheduled to fight but dropped off the card because his opponent, Nasser Athumani (21-5), was too tough. Paris (18-0-0, 13 KO), meanwhile, was stepping in to fill the void despite not being 100% because of a hand injury that caused him to drop off the previous fight in Dearborn this past December.

The wording of the press release paints Tyner in an arguably negative light ("Tyner...was advised by his camp to turn down the fight") while making Paris out the savior ("Paris, while not quite at 100% stepped up to the challenge").

Reached Sunday night for comment, Tyner told Sportssummary that the issue was payment related and had nothing to do with the quality of his opponent. Tyner has in the past stated that he would fight nearly anyone.

“Carlos’ punk ass wanted me to sell tickets and to pay my own airfare,” Tyner said in a telephone interview from his Houston residence. Carlos refers to CLIP owner Carlos Llinas, currently the single busiest boxing promoter in the state. For the February 22 fights, CLIP is teamed up with Heavy Hitter Promotions while Greg Ahrens is the promoter of record, according to state officials.

Tyner said that he heard three different boxers' names as opponents before Athumani was mentioned and that he had no problem fighting any of them but payment for fighting was the issue. Instead of being paid for the fight, Tyner said he was to receive $3,500 from tickets he would have to sell and the promoter (s) was not going to pay his or his trainer's airfare from Texas.

“What kind of crap was that?" Tyner said.