Vitali Klitschko’s 10th successful defense of his WBC heavyweight title ended in chaos on Saturday night when defeated challenger Dereck Chisora brawled with former WBA champion David Haye during the post-match news conference.
Chisora taunted Haye about losing the WBA belt to Klitschko’s younger brother, Wladimir, in July last year, leading to a heated exchange before Chisora knocked a bottle out of Haye’s hand and they came to blows.
Chisora and his coach, Don Charles, were detained at Munich Airport yesterday and taken in for questioning, Munich police spokesperson Gottfried Schlicht said.
Photo: Reuters
“Then we will decide whether to proceed further [with charges],” Schlicht said.
Schlicht said the police were still looking for Haye, who was not at his hotel.
Haye also fought with members of Chisora’s entourage on Saturday.
Photo: Reuters / Action Images / Andrew Couldridge
Camera equipment went flying and reporters fled before security eventually managed to separate the men and police arrived at the scene.
“You’ve really lost it this time,” Chisora told Haye.
The 40-year-old Vitali Klitschko beat Chisora in a bruising bout in which the Ukrainian claimed to have fought from the fourth round with only his right fist after hurting his left hand.
Photo: Reuters
Chisora found very little support from the sellout crowd of 12,500 after slapping Vitali Klitschko’s face at the weigh-in on Friday and ensured the ill feelings continued when he spat water in Wladimir’s face as his brother’s record was being called out before their bout.
“I wanted to knock him out, to be honest,” Vitali Klitschko said. “Such a cheek.”
Wladimir acted as a buffer as Chisora continued to goad them.
Vitali was clearly incensed, but it took some time before he could assert control against the Briton’s aggressive approach. His greater reach and experience made the difference.
The judges scored it 118-110, 118-110 and 119-111.
Vitali Klitschko improved his record to 44-2 (40 KOs) after what was arguably the toughest bout he’s had to endure since losing on a technical knockout to Lennox Lewis in 2003.
The Zimbabwe-born Chisora dropped to 15-3 (9 KOs) after his third defeat in his past four fights, but he had the fans in Munich’s Olympiahalle worried as Vitali Klitschko appeared to tire from his relentless attacks.
Sensing an upset, they chanted the Ukrainian’s name in the seventh round before Vitali Klitschko reasserted his dominance with a series of precision blows.
Chisora was bleeding from the lip after the first round, but seemed more than capable of taking Vitali Klitschko’s repeated punishment.
Vitali Klitschko eventually took control of the bout in the ninth round, catching Chisora with a huge right and seemingly picking his punches at will. Chisora was barely hanging on in the 10th.
Chisora gave it everything he had in the 12th and final round as he sought a knockout blow, but he could not find his way through.
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