Although Holyfield-Lewis judge Eugenia Williams filed for bankruptcy, she stashed $32,000 in two New Jersey accounts, a London tabloid reported today.
The Sunday Mirror revealed that the IBF judge – whose controversial fifth round score turned the fight into a draw – has more than $10,000 in an account at the Summit Bank in Atlantic City.
What’s more, $3,230 was deposited in the account a day before the heavyweight title fight and $5,235 three days later, the paper said.
A separate account at the South Jersey Federal Credit Union contains more than $20,000, according to the paper.
This latest shocker comes amid allegations that money played a part in the controversial outcome of last week’s Evander Holyfield-Lennox Lewis heavyweight boxing match at Madison Square Garden.
Williams, an International Boxing Federation judge, declared bankruptcy Jan. 25.
State Sen. Roy Goodman (R-Manhattan) the chairman of the Senate Investigations Committee, which held a hearing on the controversial ruling Thursday, is investigating the Mirror’s report.
“Our job will be to ascertain as quickly as possible whether the assets which are allegedly in these bank accounts were hidden by her when she made her bankruptcy declaration and whether the payments had any connection with her decision-making process in connection with the fight,” he said.
Earlier this week, Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau launched a criminal probe to investigate whether judges were paid to fix the fight.
Morgenthau’s probe “centers around possible financial relationships between promoters and the judges,” said a source close to the investigation.
Williams defended her scoring at Goodman’s hearing, including declaring Holyfield the winner in the crucial fifth round.
Williams – an Atlantic City accountant who makes less than $40,000 per year – was paid $5,150 for the event that was booed by fans who say Lewis was the clear winner.