Courts relaxed Dixon’s bail conditions for charity boxing event

Boxing champ Scott Dixon had his 7pm curfew relaxed by the courts for a charity bout he organised last week, but the event had to be cancelled when the local police failed to give it the green light.

Dixon’s promoter says even members of the police force were set to participate in the celebrity boxing event, which required a court permit for the former Commonwealth champion – out on bail over drug charges – to participate in.

Dixon – a former coach for the youth Olympic boxing team before being dropped – is currently awaiting trial over his alleged involvement in Malta’s largest cannabis bust when, back in September 2009, 500kg worth of cannabis was found hidden in a Madliena residence.

Under bail conditions, Dixon cannot leave the St Julian’s area and can only leave his house between 7am and 7pm.

Last August, however, he was charged in court of breaching the conditions, having failed to check in at the St Julian’s police station to sign the bail book. He was conditionally discharged after a court heard psychologist Dr Mark Xuereb testify that Dixon suffered from depression due to his boxing injuries.

Although facing drug charges, the courts recently allowed Dixon to have his curfew extended for a boxing event at Spinola Bay, St Julian’s for the Puttinu Cares cancer charity.

Dixon told MaltaToday this was not the first event he had organised with a court permit to extend his curfew beyond 7pm. “But someone’s personal vendetta is stopping me from doing anything,” he said.

His co-promoter, the TV presenter Stephanie Chircop – who herself was set to debut in a boxing round – said reports in Labour media maltastar.com and KullHadd claiming Dixon was defying his bail conditions had forced the event’s cancellation. “His lawyer obtained the court’s permit a week and a half before the event,” Chircop said.

However a mix-up at the local police station may have also added to the confusion: Chircop says she had verbal permission from both the St Julian’s local council and police station to hold the event. One of the fights was even going to include members of the police force and other TV celebrities.

But two days before the 14 September bout, the police called Dixon to tell him he did not have the necessary permit.

Dixon went down to the police station for a formal declaration, where he was told the local council had not given their approval. But the local council itself told Dixon it had approved the event.

“Back at the police station, the Superintendent had finished from duty and Scott could not reach him. Since there was no time to keep running after people to settle down the issue, we had no choice but to cancel it,” Chircop said.

Among the celebrities who were to take part in the event were TV presenters Moira Delia and Natius Farrugia, and DJ Alex Grech.