Two events featuring British boxer Tyson Fury were cancelled in Dublin and Cork in recent days, following the daubing of graffiti threatening violence.
The heavyweight boxer was scheduled for appearances at the Cork Opera House next Tuesday and at the Helix theatre at Dublin City University in north Dublin next Wednesday.
The two events were cancelled after gardaí received reports of graffiti on the Helix premises, which threatened a repeat of the Regency shooting at the Dublin event.
Due to unforeseen circumstances An Evening with Tyson Fury on Wednesday the 13th February at The Helix has been cancelled.
— The Helix (@TheHelixDublin) February 5, 2019
Tickets purchased using a credit or debit card will be refunded in full.
Cash refunds will be done by phone and The Helix Box Office will be in touch pic.twitter.com/kRTXvtZ9UC
In February 2016, David Byrne was shot dead at the Regency Hotel in north Dublin, during a boxing weigh-in.
Patrick Hutch has been charged in relation to the killing, and his trial in the Special Criminal Court is to resume next month.
The shooting was one of the major flash points in the ongoing Hutch-Kinahan gangland feud.
The graffiti on the Helix referenced the shooting, according to one Garda source. The credibility of the threat was “low”, however it still “had to be taken seriously,” they said.
The event was billed as an ‘Evening with Tyson Fury’, where the boxer was due to speak about his career, and pose for photographs with fans.
Both the Helix and the Cork Opera House issued statements guaranteeing refunds for everyone who bought tickets to the events.
In a statement the Garda Press Office confirmed an investigation was taking place after officers “were informed by the management of the Helix in DCU that graffiti had been placed on the premises in the last few days.”
Announcing the cancellations, the Helix tweeted the event had been cancelled due to “unforeseen circumstances.”
In a similar statement the Cork Opera House said the event had been cancelled “due to circumstances beyond our control.” The organisers said “we apologise for the obvious inconvenience.”
Fury is managed by a company called MTK Global, which was formerly known as MGM.
It was established by former professional boxer Matthew Macklin and Daniel Kinahan, who has since dissociated himself from the company.
Neither Fury nor MTK has any association with crime.
