Matlala ended a four-year association with Milenkovic's Branco Sports Productions in September, claiming he was underpaid in spite of helping to raise millions in sponsorship deals, and that he had never been given a share in the company as he'd been promised.
In a statement yesterday, Milenkovic said: "There is no doubt that Baby Jake is subject to outside influences seeking to discredit me purely for the purposes of furthering their own agendas, and without having any consideration for Baby Jake's interests.
"BSP is the leading boxing promoter in South Africa ... Rodney Berman and Golden Gloves have long since been surpassed by Branco Productions as South Africa's No 1 boxing promoter, and will revert to any tactics and strategies to discredit me."
Milenkovic, who has signed several Golden Gloves boxers in the past year, pointed out that the lawyer acting for Matlala, Stan Fanaroff, was also Berman's friend and partner.
Berman dismissed Milenkovic's claims. "Baby Jake approached me. How would I know what was going on? I suggested he speak to Stan. To suggest this is part of a rivalry is so childish it defies an answer. I'm very happy with the stable I've got. I haven't got a rivalry with him, we work in different markets."
Berman works with pay channel Supersport while Milenkovic is linked to the SABC.
Fanaroff said he had issued a summons asking Milenkovic to state the former world champion's interest in BSP as well as the company's financial records.
Milenkovic, who had not received the summons as of yesterday afternoon, denied receiving sponsorship deals of the magnitude alleged by Matlala.
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