Ben Shalom believes the reports about Boxxer’s links to a convicted cricket spot fixer owe to an “agenda”, and doesn’t consider them worthy of a conversation with broadcasters Sky Sports.

The promotional organisation’s relationship with Mahzar Majeed, the sports agent jailed over the Pakistan cricket spot-fixing scandal in 2010, was recently reported on by The Sunday Times, and Boxxer in turn told the publication that a potential agency relationship with a third party “is not unusual in this industry or for the sale of tickets”.

It was also reported that what was written led to meetings between the promoter and Sky, but Shalom, who co-founded Boxxer, responded, when asked about the potential reputational damage of the same reports: “That’s what it’s intended to do. We know where it’s coming from. We know it’s an agenda. We’re getting legal advice and we’ll deal with it. There’s a lot of colourful people in boxing, and ones that existed far before I even got in it. 

“You do your best, and there’s not much in it other than we think we know where it’s coming from and it’s intended to cause harm. The bigger that we get, and the bigger the shows we put on – it’s rare to have a promoter break into the sport. It’s a vicious game. We’ve been through a lot to get here. As our fighters grow and our shows grow, it’s a shame that it’s resorted to that. I don’t want to say too much when we’re getting legal advice, but we know where it’s coming from. 

“It’s a shame that people care more about bringing us down than the image of the sport. Ultimately, I’m not sure there’s any accusation of wrongdoing, but there’s an attempt to – we know where it’s coming from and it’s a shame that it resorts to that sometimes. We’re focused on our fighters and focused on putting on the biggest possible shows that we can and we continue to grow and continue to put on some unbelievable nights, and that comes with a huge amount of attention.”

Boxxer, who succeeded Matchroom as Sky Sports’ favoured promoter, stage, on Sunday, the British and Commonwealth heavyweight title fight between Frazer Clarke and Fabio Wardley at The O2 Arena in London.

“[Sky] know the shark-infested waters which we’re in, and they trust us, and ultimately they’ve been around the block a number of times, and they also know where it’s coming from,” the promoter continued. “We know there’s an agenda and we’ll deal with it in due course. Anybody in the sport can see what’s going on.

“I don’t think [a conversation] needs to be had. Anyone involved in the sport can see what’s going on in my opinion. 

“It’s not for me to comment on [other questionable individuals involved in the sport]. We’re a promoter and we operate in the business and we don’t control who fighters are represented by. I believe that exists in any walk of life, but it’s quite a hard question to answer.”

Asked if Boxxer intended on releasing a statement to address the subject off the back of the legal advice the organisation is receiving, Shalom said: “We’ll take advice and we’ll see what happens. We know where it’s coming from and I believe it will become clear.”