Avtandil Khurtsidze Arrested on RICO Charges, Billy Joe Saunders Fight Canceled

Middleweight boxer Avtandil Khurtsidze was arrested on several charges related to his alleged involvement with a crime syndicate based in New York City. His championship fight against Billy Joe Saunders on July 8 has been postponed as a result.

Mike Coppinger of RingTV.com confirmed the news Thursday. Lou DiBella, Khurtsidze's promoter, told the outlet he was surprised by the situation.

"It's obviously very disappointing," DiBella said. "You don't live people's lives for them. I don't know any details, but this is a development we never expected or anticipated."

On Wednesday, the Department of Justice announced the indictments against 33 individuals for what it described as a "Russian and Georgian criminal enterprise." The range of charges included "racketeering, fraud, narcotics, firearms, and stolen property offenses."

Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim released a statement about the wide-ranging allegations against the group.

"The dizzying array of criminal schemes committed by this organized crime syndicate allegedly include a murder-for-hire conspiracy, a plot to rob victims by seducing and drugging them with chloroform, the theft of cargo shipments containing over 10,000 pounds of chocolate, and a fraud on casino slot machines using electronic hacking devices," Kim said.

Khurtsidze, 38, is a native of Georgia in Eastern Europe. How he came to be connected to the syndicate wasn't immediately clear.

That said, Coppinger noted the charges against the boxer include RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) conspiracy and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Those counts carry a combined potential for 40 years in prison, six years of supervised release and $500,000 in fines if found guilty.

Khurtsidze owns a 33-2-2 career record with 22 knockouts. He most recently fought Tommy Langford in April, scoring a fifth-round TKO to win the interim WBO middleweight title. BoxRec ranked him as the ninth-best fighter in the star-studded division.

He was scheduled to face Saunders at The Copper Box Arena in London next month for the WBO middleweight title. It's unknown if the fight will ever be rescheduled pending the criminal case.