Boxing advisor and suspected mob boss Daniel Kinahan has a growing influence on the sport in America

• Daniel Kinahan, a suspected organized crime figurehead, is growing his influence in American boxing.
• Kinahan is advising US superstar fighter Terence Crawford, Crawford's promoter Bob Arum says.
• Kinahan is the alleged figurehead of an international drugs and weapons gang worth over $1billion.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Daniel Kinahan, a suspected mob boss from Europe, has infiltrated American boxing and is currently advising pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford.

That's according to a bombshell report in the Mirror of Ireland by John Hand, a noted crime journalist who has been reporting on Kinahan for years.

Kinahan is one of the most powerful people in boxing, advising some of the sport's biggest names, including world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. He also advises other top tier fighters like Josh Taylor and Jamel Herring.

He advises his stable of boxers, and even organizes matches for them from his headquarters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

While Kinahan has never been charged with a crime, it is alleged that he controls an Irish organized crime group with operations worth over $1billion.

The High Court in Ireland has heard accusations he is the figurehead of an international drugs and weapons gang called the Cartel, which specializes in execution-style murders, as Insider detailed last year.

Lawmakers in Europe are appalled at how Kinahan is seemingly free to operate in boxing.

Irish politician Neale Richmond said earlier this year that the sport must fight back, while Stephen Farry - a member of parliament in the UK - said he's "very concerned" about the power Kinahan wields.

"There are major issues both for Governments and the boxing authorities," when it comes to Kinahan, Farry told Insider in February.

Kinahan's power in boxing appears to grow despite his alleged background

Earlier this month, Eddie Hearn - the chairman of British promotions firm Matchroom Sport - said Kinahan had discussions with Sky Sports, a broadcaster Hearn had a lengthy association with before entering a new deal with rival streaming service DAZN.

Regarding three athletes who have parted ways with the Matchroom brand - Hughie Fury, Savannah Marshall, and Lewis Ritson - Hearn told iFL TV: "I think their advisor Daniel [Kinahan] spoke to us and Sky and, basically, this was a massive opportunity for them," to join Sky.

Sky denied Hearn's assertions.

"These claims are untrue," Sky said in a statement, according to The Mirror. "As a broadcaster, we are continuing to work only through our promoters to secure fights to air on television."

Regardless, Kinahan has been making moves that impact the US marketplace, as well as boxing in Britain.

At the start of the year, Kinahan was pictured in Dubai sitting next to Florida-based boxing manager Peter Kahn. The picture was later deleted from Kahn's social media.

-Irish Daily Star (@IsFearrAnStar) February 16, 2021

Months later, Kahn signed a deal to join Triller Fight Club as its chief boxing officer.

Kinahan's growing stable has taken an American flavor of late

In addition to his work with Herring, a world champion boxer from New York, Kinahan is also linked to Californian lightweight Joseph Diaz.

This sparked a legal challenge from Heredia Boxing Management - a company that had a deal with Diaz prior to his apparent move toward Kinahan.

The legal case includes allegations of racketeering and alleges that Kinahan controls boxing management company MTK Global, court documents viewed by Insider show.

MTK has consistently maintained that it has no formal relationship with Kinahan but acknowledged earlier this year that he "provides personal advice to a number of boxers managed by MTK Global."

In the December 2020 complaint, Heredia Boxing Management and its founder Moses Heredia accused Kinahan and MTK of interfering with Diaz, who was contracted to Heredia.

Another well-known American has joined Kinahan's stable

Bob Arum, the veteran promoter and founder of powerful Las Vegas-based firm Top Rank, told The Irish Mirror this week that Crawford, one of Top Rank's fighters, is advised by Kinahan.

Crawford is a stupendously skilled fighter, a three-weight champion, and one of the best boxers in the welterweight division.

Crawford visited Dubai in May, and posted photographs of his stay on his Instagram story.

It is unclear if he met Kinahan during his visit, and there is no suggestion that Crawford is involved in any criminality.

Insider approached Crawford's representatives for comment on his relationship with Kinahan, but is yet to receive a response.

If Kinahan has the ear of Crawford, Fury, and Taylor, then he can act in the interests of three of the world's consensus top 10 boxers.

While Kinahan is now one of boxing's most influential figures, he's also one of its most mysterious.

He rarely appears in public and was not ringside for Herring's 2021 victory over Carl Frampton even though it was held in Dubai, according to an Insider source who was there at the time.

Kinahan does not give interviews or speak to the press in any form.

The only public statement he has issued for years arrived February 2021, and appeared to be part of a campaign to sportswash his image.

Left unchecked, Kinahan's influence in American boxing may continue to grow.