Exclusive: Minnesota Commission Investigating Curtis Harper Walking Out Of The Ring

Curtis Harper’s stunt on a recent Premier Boxing Champions card in Minneapolis will come with some consequences.

Harper was supposed to fight Nigerian heavyweight prospect Efe Ajagba on the televised portion of the August 24 PBC on FS1 card. But when both men entered the ring and the bell sounded to start the fight, Harper immediately walked out of the ring in protest due to his payment, not believing it to be a high-enough purse for Harper. 

Fightful reached out to the Minnesota Office of Combative Sports and was given this short statement regarding the matter. The commission told Fightful that Harper has not been paid and that the commission is still investigating the matter. A decision on whether or not Harper will be suspended will be decided “within the next week,” according to a commission representative. Harper’s purse for the fight would have been $6,000.

“Where we’re at is that, as far as we know, the promoter withheld the payment. [Harper] was not paid for the fight. What the Minnesota Office of Combative Sports is doing is gathering info. We’re reviewing the details and we’re going to make a decision regarding his license within the next week,” a commission representative told Fightful.  

One immediate consequence was Harper being disqualified and was given a loss to his record, which now stands at 13-6, while Ajagba improves to 6-0. Fightful will provide an update on the situation once more details are revealed.

Harper and Ajagba have also received automatic 14-day suspensions, as do all boxers on the card, per Minnesota rules, so Harper would have been suspended regardless of his actions and the fight’s result.