Jay-Z ‘to be sued’ by boxer who claims he was forced to fight with skull fractures by rapper’s company Roc Nation
ROC NATION, the promotional company headed by superstar rapper Jay Z, will reportedly be sued by a boxer who blames them for brain injuries sustained after fighting three times in 79 days.
He allegedly claims he was forced to fight with skull fractures and later suffered a brain haemorrhage after being KO’d, despite expressing concern that he should not be fighting.
Daniel Franco signed for Roc Nation in 2015 – with legends Miguel Cotto and Andre Ward joining alongside him.
However, in March 2017 Franco claims he suffered an illness that prevented him from training for three weeks and informed Roc Nation he was unable to fight.
The boxer claims, however, that he was persuaded to compete despite his concerns and was subsequently stopped in three rounds against Christopher Martin.
Franco then claims he asked for time to recover from the loss only for Roc Nation to book him another fight 50 days later – which he won by first round KO against Francisco Agustin Suarez.
Jay Z’s banner then booked the featherweight in for another fight – his third in 79 days – where Jose Haro KO’d Californian Franco in eight rounds.
TMZ report Franco now claims Roc Nation did not take the steps to make sure he was medically fit to box during his third fight in 79 days.
The American boxer claims in court documents he suffered two skull fractures and a brain bleed before the June 10 fight that could have been detected.
Franco was diagnosed with a brain haemorrhage and went into a coma after his KO loss against Haro.
Doctors needed to remove a piece of his skull to relieve pressure from the bleed.
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Franco awoke after two weeks from his coma but claims he still has severe neurological and cognitive issues, meaning he is required to wear a helmet at all times to protect his brain.
In the lawsuit, he is asking for unspecified damages claiming Roc Nation and Jay-Z had a duty to protect him.
He accused them of allegedly acting recklessly by scheduling him to fight three times in 79 days without “necessary medical testing.”