Boxing not to blame for Chisora Haye brawl
Is boxing really to blame for the ugly brawl which broke out between Dereck Chisora and David Haye at the Munich post-fight conference?
Boxing has emerged as a proven way of helping combat anti-social behaviour by taking vulnerable children off of the streets.
Discipline, respect and camaraderie are taught to those who box and it is these qualities that help so many young people turn their lives around.
Chisora and Haye must have forgotten all of these traits which they learned at a young age and were overcome with those anti-social like behaviours boxing has so successfully fought.
Both men were very aware that the cameras were rolling, microphones on and writers watching – they had a front row seat to encourage the ludicrous behaviour.
It all started with a comment from Haye to Vitali Klitschkos’ manager and ended up in a full-scale punch up with Chisora threatening to shoot Haye.
He screamed at Haye: “He glassed me! F***ing pussy! I swear to God, David, I'm going to f***ing shoot you. I'm going to shoot you. I'm gonna shoot David Haye.”
The 28-year-old who clashed with the law in 2010 for assaulting a former girlfriend and has previous convictions for public-order offences, assaulting a police officer and possession of an offensive weapon was detained with his entourage at Munich Airport.
They were later released after questioning. Haye who was there representing the BoxNation as a pundit managed to escape to the UK before the German Police could find him.
Although Haye may never have envisaged his comments would explode into a full-scale fight he knew exactly what he was doing when he attacked Klischkos’ manager for mentioning his name about a future fight.
Haye said In his statement: "I felt as though the public would want to hear more information about this potential bout and that we could both start beating the drum ahead of a showdown later this year.”
Chisora will now face disciplinary action next month. It is unknown as to what sort of punishment will be enforced by the British Boxing Board of Control for him.
The BBBofC can fine, suspend and withdraw a license if they feel it deemed necessary and although Haye has retired from boxing and no longer holds a license he can be banned from ever attaining one again.
A ban for Haye will ironically scupper any hopes he had of fighting Klischko in the future.
However WBO light-heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly believes neither should receive a lifetime ban from the sport, he said: "I think a lifetime ban is way over the top. It only needs a small punishment to learn the lessons from what happened."
Yet, admits that it is vital that security at press conferences need to be stepped up in order to stop incidents damaging the image of the sport happening again.
It is often said that the heavyweight division dictates what happens in the rest of the sport and this is something which cannot be allowed to do so.
Both men were to blame. Boxing was not: Haye responsible of pushing an emotional man too far, Chisora for resorting to criminal violence he had previously been guilty of.
The next generation of boxers need to know this in order to avoid endangering boxings’ image which has helped so many.
