Daniel Franco: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Daniel Franco celebrates his win against Marcelo Gallardo during their Featherweight bout at ORACLE Arena on August 6, 2016 in Oakland, California.

Retired featherweight boxer Daniel “Twitch” Franco, 27, has filed a lawsuit against Jay-Z and his entertainment company Roc Nation for unspecified damages, claiming negligence after the up-and-coming fighter was severely injured in a 2017 match. Franco says he had the flu for several weeks and needed to postpone three closely scheduled fights, but his promoter, Roc Nation, insisted he step into the ring as planned. Roc Nation has not issued a statement addressing Franco’s allegations.

Franco contends his rush to prepare after being ill left him vulnerable to injury. In two of the three matches, the previously undefeated Franco took serious blows to the head causing traumatic brain injury that almost caused his death. Franco told the Orange County Register his medical bills totaled more than $1 million.

Here’s what you need to know about Daniel Franco and how he claims his boxing career came to a tragic end at the hands of his promoter.

1. Franco signed on with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation

In 2015, Franco signed a promotional deal with Roc Nation Sports, a division of Roc Nation. Founded by entertainment mogul Jay-Z, Roc Nation’s website describes the enterprise as “the world’s preeminent entertainment company,” with several divisions including music, TV/film, and sports. Roc Nation has a stable of high-profile entertainers and athletes including Shakira, Jaden Smith, Gavin Rossdale, Yoenis Cespedes, Kevin Durant, and Ndamukong Suh.

“I know exactly why Roc Nation signed Daniel Franco,” Christopher Trottier wrote back in 2016 on the boxing website BadLeftHook.com. “The kid is good-looking, cuts a great promo, and entertains in the ring. If Franco succeeds, it won’t be hard to sell tickets.”

Trottier believed Roc Nation saw Franco’s potential in the ring. “Franco does his best work when he moves his opponents to the ropes. It’s here where he unleashes a decent combo of left hook to the body, right hook to the body, left uppercut to the head.”

2. Franco Said “The Root of His Problems” Started With a Fight Against Contender Chris Martin

According to Franco, his problems started when he was scheduled to fight three matches within 79 days. After coming down with the flu and being sick for several weeks, he told Roc Nation that he needed to postpone or cancel his first fight against Chris Martin so he’d have time to recuperate and get into shape. Franco said he was pressured by Roc Nation to keep to the schedule, resulting in a rushed training program as he prepared to do battle against Martin. Martin was initially described by the L.A. Times as just a “tune-up” for Roc Nation’s rising star. Martin ultimately won the match after knocking the previously undefeated Franco out in the third round. Franco is candid about what happened, saying his lack of preparation “definitely showed in the fight.”

Fox News is reporting Franco’s lawsuit claims he should have received “appropriate medical clearance” prior to his other fights but was instead pushed to prepare for his following matches against Francisco Agustin Suarez, which Franco won in the first round, and then Jose Haro.

3. Franco’s Career-Ending Fight Was Jose Haro Nearly Killed Him

Franco’s career came to a tragic halt on June 10, 2017, when he stepped into the ring with Jose Haro at the WinnaVegas Casino in Sloan, Iowa. The fight was stopped after Franco was knocked out in the eighth round. NYFights.com reported Franco was immediately transported to a Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City for emergency surgery.

When Franco arrived at the hospital, doctors realized that he was suffering from two life-threatening brain bleeds. Surgeons had to remove part of his skull to relieve the pressure on his brain. Doctors told Franco’s father and trainer Al, they didn’t expect he’d survive.

4. Franco Claims Roc Nation Offered Support That Never Materialized

In November 2017, Franco posted a video in which he claimed Roc Nation offered to help his family, and that the company had told his parents they were “gonna take care of this,” adding that he felt Roc Nation had “abandoned” him. Franco called Roc Nation part of his family, stating he had trusted the entertainment conglomerate with his career.

According to Franco, once he started sharing his story on social media, a representative with Roc Nation called to ask that he delete any negative social media posts and that they’d call him within 72 hours. Franco said he did as he was instructed but the posts went back up when Roc Nation continued to ignore him. “That’s how it’s been with Roc Nation. They haven’t been true to their word and they haven’t been great people,” he said.

5. Franco Originally Hoped to Box in the Olympics

Hailing from Riverside, California, Franco became hooked on boxing after dad Al took him to the gym as a little boy. He said he watched the boxers practicing with the speed bags and “fell in love with it.”

As an amateur, Franco won several national titles and was hoping to become an Olympic athlete but revealed the “timing wasn’t right.” A week shy of his 19th birthday the aspiring boxer decided to turn pro. Prior to his devastating injuries, Franco described his career as “perfect.”

Now Franco is left unable to box but coaches others to stay close to the sport and also make a living. “I’ll miss fighting for the rest of my life… It’s bittersweet,” he said.