Darren Till hopes 'friend' Daniel Kinahan is 'okay' after alleged crime boss arrested in Dubai
Professional fighter Darren Till said he hopes "friend" Daniel Kinahan is okay after the alleged gang boss was arrested in Dubai. Kinahan is languishing in a United Arab Emirates prison facing extradition to Ireland to face charges relating to his alleged role as the leader of the global organised crime syndicate.Combat sports enthusiast Kinahan previously headed MTK Global, a boxing and MMA management company, before it was closed in 2022. Liverpool-born Till, 33, was one of MTK's flagship signings and has previously defended Kinahan's controversial role in the sport.Speaking in 2020, he said: "Yes, I am friends with Daniel Kinahan...and what? I've never hidden his friendship and why should I when the man has given me more valuable advice as a friend than anyone I’ve ever met in a professional capacity."Kinahan was held on an Irish arrest warrant on Friday following months of investigations into the crime group responsible for "murder and mayhem" in Ireland. Ireland's Director of Public Prosecutions has directed police to charge Kinahan with directing a criminal organisation, with officers believing the 48-year-old directed the gang's murderous gang war campaign on the streets of Dublin between 2016 and 2018.During an interview on MMA journalist Ariel Helwani's show on Tuesday, Till was asked about Kinahan's arrest. He said: "If the USA government wants you, are they going to get you at some point. Yeah, maybe. Maybe not."This appears to be in reference to a series of sanctions put in place against Kinahan, his dad, "dapper don" Christy, and brother, Christy Jnr, by the US Department of State. Rewards of up to $5m for information leading to the arrests of the family members were also offered.Till said he had not "looked into it much", but added: "I just hope he's okay. That's all I can say about it really."Following a discussion about visa issues to enter the US, Till was asked if it was related to the "Kinahan stuff". He added: "I don't know. Maybe, maybe not, but I think what it does boil down to is when I was doing my ESTA many years ago, I think I put incorrect information over a criminal conviction so I think that’s what stopped me getting in but who knows?"I don't think it is tied to that because I'm not tied into any of that, am I? I was Kinahan's friend so can't go to America for that, is it?"Till also used the interview with Ariel Helwani to criticise the ECHO's coverage of him and the previous association this paper has made between him and Kinahan. "The Liverpool paper doesn't write anything positive about me," Till said, before adding: "I don't think I have had the accolades out of Liverpool that I deserve."There is no suggestion Till has any involvement in crime.Till, who has previously fought in the UFC, has recently signed for the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship - part-owned by Conor McGregor. He is set to face Aaron Chalmers in Birmingham next month.Ireland's top police officer said on Tuesday that the "very significant" arrest of Kinahan was not the end of the force's probe into the cartel. He said: "This is certainly not an end point to us. And again, I certainly want to repeat that."We're going to be relentless around individuals who have caused murder and mayhem here in Ireland and are responsible for, as you will all know, a significant number of homicides, including two innocent people."The Kinahan crime syndicate is one of the major players in the global supply of drugs for decades. Their control is believed to stretch globally and include links to organised crime groups on Merseyside.The antics of the organised crime group was drawn into the open following an assassination attempt against Kinahan at a boxing weigh-in in Dublin in February. The subsequent conflict between the Kinahan crime group and the Hutch gang resulted in the deaths of at least 18 people in a series of tit-for-tat hits.
