By the time the case ended we had seen weeping in the witness box and heard of alleged doubledealings in the sometimes murky world of professional boxing. There were accusations of perjury and betrayal as a straightforward breach of contract case turned into a 25-day legal marathon.
At issue was the question of whether a one-year management agreement between boxer Steve Collins and promoter Barry Hearn had been extended from May 1995 for a further year. Hearn had sued Collins, and yesterday the High Court found in the boxer's favour.
Had Barry Hearn and his company, Matchroom Boxing Ltd, succeeded in their claim against Collins, they could have been awarded up to £500,000. That is 25 per cent of each of the purses paid to Collins for a total of three fights. As things stand now, Hearn could end up footing a bill of £1 million for legal costs.
Hearn says that his motivation for taking the case was not exclusively money. He spoke yesterday of issues such as pride and ethics, of investing in a young boxer who had come to him "with nothing" and of not being remunerated for his efforts. According to Collins, Hearn was looking for payment for work he had not done.
On the second day of the case the court heard that when Collins came to discuss his career with Hearn in 1993 the boxer was "almost valueless". Under Hearn's guidance, the court heard, Collins's earnings had gone from £32,000 in 1993 to £1.8 million in 1995. In that time he had fought and beaten Chris Eubank in Millstreet to become WBO world super middleweight champion.
Collins's defence concerned questions about the legality of the management agreement which Hearn claimed had been extended until May 1996. Collins denied that the agreement existed. However, the judge ruled yesterday that a management agreement was in place during this time.
Collins's defence also included allegations that Hearn had neglected the boxer. These breaches, some of which were alleged to have occurred at the time of the Millstreet bout against Eubank, were discounted by the judge.
Another more serious allegation, also dismissed by Mr Justice O'Sullivan, exposed the seamy side of the sport. When New York referee Ron Lipton took the stand halfway through the trial he painted a sordid picture of the goings-on at Millstreet and made claims about Hearn.
The promoter, who managed Eubank as well as Collins at the time, had tried to "nobble" or influence Mr Lipton, it was claimed. "He put his arms around me, pulled me into him and said: `Tomorrow night, watch Steve Collins. He is a dirty fighter. Watch the use of his head'."
It was alleged that a second similar approach had been made to Mr Lipton on the night of the fight. Hearn strenuously denied that these incidents occurred. Mr Lipton also spoke of "heinous events" such as his clothes being cut up and threats being made. Officials were being offered "drink, prostitutes and gifts" by the World Boxing Organisation, he claimed.
While Mr Justice O'Sullivan yesterday dismissed Lipton's evidence of improper pre-fight advances by Hearn, his ruling that Hearn was guilty of two other fundamental breaches of the management contract were to signal the end of his High Court hopes.
The first occurred in New York in May 1995 at a purse-bidding. It was alleged that Hearn did his utmost to stop rival a promoter, Sports Network, from bidding for the purse for Collins's defence of his title against Eubank. In effect, he had attempted to ensure that Collins did not receive the best purse, and this, said the judge, amounted to breach of contract.
The second fundamental breach concerned correspondence from Hearn to the World Boxing Organisation in June 1995. It was alleged that the letters, one of which cast doubt on a finger injury sustained by Collins, had been designed to strip the boxer of his world title. Hearn denied this, but yesterday the judge held that by writing these letters he had failed in his management responsibilities.
Hearn remained calm at all times during the trial, even when being called a "perjuror and a shyster" by counsel for Mr Collins.
The now-retired former boxer was not so adept at keeping his emotions in check. At one point he wept openly under cross-examination. No doubt some more tears, this time of joy, will be shed by the emotional ex-boxer in the wake of the verdict.