Following the Fracas. Hide, Audley, BBC? Who is to blame?

By James McDonnell

03.06 - Answer, everybody involved with the promotion, Herbie Hide and his cheerleader Fitch, the BBC, the security team, and not least of these is Audley Harrison, who as he is effectively his own promoter (with Harding the nominal official promoter), is in charge of hiring and firing of security.

Considering the volatile nature of some of the people involved in boxing, including often the crowds, it strikes me as at best wishful thinking, and at worst incompetent how few security staff were on call that night, and are on call generally at high profile fights.

I can recall an ugly fracas developing at the Michael Ayers v Pablo Sarmiento fight at the Wembley conference centre, where up to a 100 people were involved in a melee in the stands. Security staff were largely powerless to prevent it, and had to simply wait for it to die down.

On Saturday night, reports from those at ringside attested to the less than implacable response of members of the security team present at Audley's behest. Shouts of 'You want some' and 'let's have it' are not the palliative remedy to violent outbursts.

Hide and Fitch were seen running from the fray at the end of the ugly scenes, as members of security staff and other members from the crowd assaulted them with (albeit) plastic chairs.

While I agree that Herbie Hide has a long history of volatility, I don't think he can be held entirely culpable for the scenes that marred the evening, and ultimately overshadowed the fight.

If Audley was so insistent on not having Hide present, why were his own paymasters the BBC, so insistent on having him at ringside, which was surely going to cause a confrontation of some kind.

Audley was perhaps naïve, or worse, inflammatory in belittling Hide (as Hide saw it) by leading the crowd in a fittingly pantomime chant of Bruno. Bruno, after asking which of the two fighters he should face next.

It would appear that Herbie was invited by the BBC's commentary team, to comment on the performance of a prospective opponent, which is fine. Even without this invitation, there is no reason that Hide wouldn't be allowed to enter the arena, any paying customer is allowed into a fight.

However, having Hide brought to ringside in the immediate aftermath of the fight, when Audley had made several attempts to have hide forcibly ejected (as Hide claims) is like giving a suicidal man a loaded revolver, bloody stupid.

What kind of communication, or lack of it, was there between the BBC, ultimately Audley's current paymasters, the fighter, his security people, and Hide.

It would appear that the lines of communication were largely ignored, and the BBC is certainly at fault in nothing else, if not fanning the flames of controversy.

There are certain lessons to be learnt here.

Any kind of showdown, or verbal tussles should be within the environs of a closely controlled situation, where large numbers of professional and capable security staff are on hand to calm the situation.

After all, you don't want your average nightclub bouncer wading in to a situation between two professional heavyweight fighters, the results are likely to be unpleasant.

Furthermore, TV companies and the venue have a duty, as well as the promotional team, to not jeopardise the safety of those present at ringside, the BBC on this occasion made a bad judgement call in ignoring the wishes of Harrison.

Boxing has suffered another black eye, no matter that some people may think that the incidents of Saturday are all part and parcel of the carnivalesque hurly-burly of fight promotion.

Boxing should be striving to be taken as seriously as other major world sports, and these incidents are just fuel for the fire of the anti-boxing brigade, as another example of the amateurish promotion and production values which often accompany major, and especially minor promotions.

Sure, there's no such thing as bad publicity, and it will sell tickets for a fight between Audley and Herbie, but it denigrates a sport which has consistently sullied it's own reputation.

Security teams/promoters should have the power to ban anyone who might prove inflammatory. The likes of Steve Fitch, who have brought nothing but ill repute to the game, are a perfect example.

What is to stop the likes of Fitch being barred from press conferences, auditoriums and other public arenas? If he has a legitimate role within Hide or anyone else's camp, then let him carry it out away from the cameras, and if (as I suspect) he does not, then what need for him?

After all, any night-club around the country has a prominent sign featured near the entrance stating, 'Management reserves the right to refuse entry,' and Football clubs routinely ban fans with violent histories from buying season tickets, and refuse them entry to their grounds.

Security arrangements for fights need to be tightened up, and I think to a degree fighters need to be kept away from a powder keg situation where their (sometimes) easily frayed tempers and sense of pride aren't put on the line.

Herbie should rid himself of the odious presence of Fitch, and Audley needs to leave security arrangements and promotion to someone

The BBC for their part need to be prepared to accept some of the blame for putting Herbie Hide in a situation where he was an unwelcome guest at Audley's party, and subjected to a goading which was bound to make him feel belittled.

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