Boxer Charles Conwell withdrew from fight with fake injury at manager’s suggestion

A former Olympic boxer who pulled out of a fight earlier this year says he did so after his manager advised him to fake an injury.

Charles Conwell, who representing the United States at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, told ESPN’s Mike Coppinger this week that he lied about having a hand injury so he could withdraw from his April 8 fight against Ivan Golub. The Ring City fight was set to take place at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. The entire card was canceled, including Conwell’s half brother Isaiah Steen’s bout against Kalvin Henderson.

Conwell said his manager David McWater, who signed the fighter after the 2016 Olympics, told Conwell to fake the injury so he could instead fight on the undercard for Triller in a June 19 event in Miami. That fight would have paid Conwell $80,000 compared to only $40,000 for the Golub bout.

“We said hand because that’s the hardest to prove,” Conwell said. “I didn’t really think twice about it. I just said all right.”

McWater also manages Golub, Steen and Lopez. He claimed there was no need to lie about an injury because there was no contract for the April fight. Conwell said he asked about fighting in both events, but McWater told him the two fights were too close together and he didn’t want to risk Conwell suffering an injury.

Lopez tested positive before the Triller fight, so that event was postponed. Conwell has only fought in an $8,000 fight at a community college in the meantime.

“I have bills. I have a daughter,” he said. “You know how it is not getting paid. … It’s some strain. I haven’t fought in no meaningful fights.”

Conwell said he really wanted to fight in both events and felt bad when the whole card was canceled, especially since his half-brother was supposed to earn a career-best payday of $15,000. Conwell’s co-promoter, Tony Holden, blamed McWater for how things transpired.

“Charles Conwell is a great kid, he was caught up in confusion,” Holden said. “I stand by this young man. He was given bad advice.”

If there was no contract for the April fight, there is probably no recourse. Still, advising a client to fake an injury is a bad look for a manager. That is something that will probably reflect poorly on McWater.