In an effort to defeat Savio Vega in his own match for a championship that was rightfully his, Richard Holliday leaned on ex-NBA referee, Tim Donaghy, to hedge his bets and allow him to walk away as the Caribbean Champion.
MLW sent the following in reaction to the events of the January 27th episode of FUSION.
From MLW:
EXPOSED! Ex-NBA ref at center of controversial MLW main event
Was the fix in on the title fight?Did ex-NBA referee Tim Donaghy have an ulterior motive in officiating last night's main event between Richard Holliday and Savio Vega on MLW FUSION?
Several major media outlets, such as Sports Illustrated and Forbes, have published reports this morning exposing alleged corruption involving Holliday and the official for last night’s Caribbean Strap Match for the Caribbean Heavyweight Championship.
The bout, which headlined MLW's flagship series, FUSION, can be watched at: https://youtu.be/xs-rSVzCyRM.
In the wake of the match, former NBA referee Tim Donaghy, the subject of an NBA corruption scandal, has been identified as the referee that called the main event. The title match, which ended in controversy, saw Donaghy appear to tilt the outcome in the favor of Holliday.
Was the fix on? History points in that direction.
A few years ago Tim Donaghy was exposed for conspiring to fix NBA games as part of a betting scandal. Donaghy went on to plead guilty to two felony conspiracy charges, and was later sentenced to 15 months in prison.
Mere minutes before the main event, MLW.com reported a suspicious surge in activity betting on the Caribbean Strap Match. Did Holliday or Donaghy put money on a certain outcome?
When reached for comment, Holliday referred MLW.com to his lawyer/father, who threatened legal action for defaming his client/champion/son.
League officials are sequestered behind closed doors this morning discussing the implications and consequences surrounding the allegations.
“While all referees are assigned by the athletic commission, MLW takes any and all matters involving corruption VERY seriously,” states Jared St. Laurent.
MLW.com will update this story as warranted.
You can check out full coverage of the FUSION episode here.
