By James Slater – There is absolutely no doubt: British heavyweight Dereck Chisora shocked the boxing world last night in Germany – not by defeating defending WBC heavyweight king Vitali Klitschko in their exciting 12-rounder (though “Del Boy” sure gave it his all in trying to do so), but during the bout’s post-fight press conference in Munich.
Where to start with all that happened?
The presence of David Haye had a whole lot to do with the absolute chaos that erupted last night. First calling out Vitali (for which Haye was almost removed by security on Klitschko manager Bernd Boente’s orders), Haye then wound up in a heated verbal exchange with Chisora. Soon the confrontation got physical. Just why Chisora was permitted to walk right into Haye’s face after leaving the podium we can only wonder. What on earth did the officials think was going to happen?
Well, what happened (as documented by the video article below) was Chisora knocked the bottle Haye was holding out of his hand, Haye responded with a smashing right hand to the head and then a full scale brawl broke out, with camera equipment sent flying and Haye’s manager, Adam Booth, suffering a nasty cut on his forehead. It must be said again, security officials were very slow in trying to sort out the big mess that could so easily have been prevented in the first place.
But what now?
It has been reported that Chisora was detained by German police today. Taken in for questioning, Chisora may even have his licence taken away from him by The BBB of C. It’s way too early to be able to say if this will be the case, but some, including SKY Sports pundit and former cruiserweight champ Glenn McCrory, say the ultra-controversial fighter should never be allowed back in a British boxing ring. Has “Del Boy,” who caused a massive stir by first slapping Vitali at the official weigh-in, then another stir by spitting in brother Wladimir’s face inside the ring during the pre-fight intros, and then a massive stir with yesterday’s press conference shenanigans, gone way, way, way too far?
German police also wanted to pull in Haye, yet reports say Haye was not at his hotel and that police could not find him.
The ramifications of yesterday’s unforgettable scenes will certainly be serious, and at this points it is of a secondary concern to discuss what Chisora and Haye will do next regarding their boxing careers. Both men may face a whole more important fight: that of retaining the right to box for a living. Chisora especially seems to be in hot water. At the very least, he faces a hefty fine and a probable suspension.
“Del Boy” may not have won last night’s big fight, but he has without a shadow of a doubt put his name firmly in the boxing history books! But not for the best of reasons.
