Munich, Germany – February 18, 2012. It was on this day when two British heavyweights went at it, illegally, one armed with a bottle, with the whole world watching. You remember the “Bottle Brawl” between David Haye and Derek Chisora?
David Haye was in attendance at the post-fight presser for the fight between challenger Chisora and defending WBC heavyweight king Vitali Klitschko. Haye, who was still a top contender at the time, if a largely inactive one, was there to call for a shot at Vitali. This is when things took an unexpected turn.
Chisora, still pumped up after his 12 rounds with “Dr. Steelhammer,” ridiculed Haye over the infamous “toe-gate” episode, when Haye had used the excuse of a broken toe for his heavy points loss to Wladimir Klitschko. Haye was fuming but Chisora went further, leaving the podium to get in Haye’s face.
Haye, who was holding a bottle at the time, unleashed some punches at his tormentor, leaving Chisora to cry out, “he glassed me, he glassed me!” The brawl soon went viral and fans everywhere all but forgot about the win Vitali had scored over Chisora.
With German authorities “anxious to speak with both Haye and Chisora,” this bitter all-British match-up was suddenly one of the most demanded fights in the sport. Promoters said they would not host such a fight, yet soon enough it duly came.
Haye and Chisora were the talking point of the sport. They simply had to fight and they did (Haye taking Chisora out in the fifth round of an exciting fight in July of that year).
In the space of around 24 hours, Dereck Chisora had turned himself into one of the most notorious, controversial and, yes, entertaining heavyweights of recent years.
And in another bizarre twist, Haye and Chisora began working with one another some years later, this when Haye was retired from the ring and “War,” as Chisora began calling himself at the time, was still in the hunt for the big fights.
These two men even became good friends!
