BOXING:DERECK CHISORA is a free man – for now. German police released him last night after arresting him at Munich airport early in the day and questioning him for seven hours over his part in the brawl with David Haye that followed his world title fight with the WBC champion, Vitali Klitschko, in the Olympiahalle.
Police are keeping the Londoner on notice, however. “He still faces a charge of simple assault but he is allowed to return to England for now,” a Munich police spokesman, Gottfried Schlicht, said.
Chisora has previous convictions for public order offences, assaulting a police officer and assaulting his then girlfriend, as well as possession of an offensive weapon. He has also both kissed and bitten opponents before fights, slapped Klitschko in the face at the weigh-in on Friday, then spat water in the face of the champion’s brother, Wladimir, when they faced off in the ring on Saturday night.
It is fair to say he has used up a fair amount of goodwill among those who have kept faith with him on his extraordinary path to a world title fight.
Klitschko kept his title with a clear points win against the determined challenger, who was having only his 18th fight, but the bout and the result were quickly forgotten in the aftermath, as Haye gate-crashed the press conference to push his case for coming out of retirement to challenge Klitschko.
When they scattered chairs, journalists and photographers, then exchanged blows that resulted in cuts and bruises, as well as bloodying the head of Haye’s trainer, Adam Booth, the police were called to the scene, where they interviewed Chisora.
Haye, at that point, had left the arena.
The British Boxing Board of Control general secretary, Robert Smith, said both fighters would have to appear before a disciplinary panel and, although reluctant to pre-judge the outcome, made it plain they would be punished.
It is likely they will be fined and suspended for at least six months. Police also wanted to question Haye but he was not at his hotel on Sunday morning nor was he seen at Munich airport.
Chisora yelled at Haye after the brief, chaotic fracas: “David, I’m gonna shoot you. I swear to God, David, I’m going to f***in’ shoot you. I’m going to shoot you. I’m gonna shoot David Haye.”
Police said they initially held Chisora on suspicion of assault, causing grievous bodily harm and of making a threat but reduced the severity of the charges when unable to locate Haye.
“We don’t know where he is,” Schlicht said last night. “It’s not a charge against David Haye. We have to report everything [that] happened last night. Maybe he has gone home, yes. Then maybe we would talk to our colleagues in Great Britain.”
Chisora’s promoter, Frank Warren, described both boxers as “total idiots” but said Haye inflamed the row by attending a press conference that had nothing to do with him.
Haye, commenting on the fight for Warren’s BoxNation TV channel, as well as BBC Radio 5 Live, and providing interviews for the host German broadcaster, RTL, angered local promoters by his prominence at ringside.
That was to fade into insignificance when Haye and Chisora dragged attention away from the showpiece of the night with their impromptu violence.
“The shame of it all is a great effort by Dereck has been overshadowed by all this,” Warren said on Twitter last night. He earlier wondered if Chisora even had a future in the sport.
Ironically there is now a strong likelihood Chisora and Haye will fight each other in London later in the year. Warren was keen to arrange the fight and neither has many other options. As for either of them fighting either of the Klitschkos, that still remains a possibility – after they have answered the many charges ranged against them over their conduct.
Guardian Service
