As well as being "no angel" David Haye has also proved he is no dignified sportsman after his astonishing mindless brawl with fellow boxer Dereck Chisora. The outburst occurred during a Chisora press conference and ended with both fighters and the name of boxing tarnished in shame. After feeling he had been unnecessarily provoked, Haye took it upon himself to retaliate with a blast of crude insults and taunts.
Just days after the incident, Haye released a statement apologising for his actions. Yet, the former Heavy Weight World Champion believes the majority of the blame should be on his compatriot.
"Chisora began firing insults at me from his position on the top table. In fact, he has recently made a habit of saying derogatory things about me in the press.
"Moments before declaring he wanted to go face-to-face with me, he assured the gathered media that he would give me 'two slaps'."
It has also been revealed that Chisora was shockingly recorded repeatedly claiming that he will "shoot" the 31 year old.
In his statement, Haye added: "Chisora then climbed down from the top table, removed his robe and then walked towards me, entourage in tow, in an aggressive manner. I held my ground, but, unfortunately, he caused a serious disturbance to occur, something which threatened to damage the reputation of the sport we both love.
"I realise I am no angel — and don't mind a bit of professional trash-talk to help raise boxing's profile — but, during my 21 years in the sport, I have never been involved in, or even witnessed, such a serious fracas."
His defence of "holding his ground" has not been enough to prevent being charged by the police which is expected to happen this week.
The unprofessional scrap was captured on video and has already become a viral YouTube sensation. Furthermore, with both the fighters being British, the mêlée has added negative publicity in the build up to the London Olympics later this summer which will need amending.
With so many great British boxers in our history, it is shameful to see two overrated and pompous fighters show how little class they possess and how little respect they hold for the sport. It is also hard to imagine a boxing legend like the late great Henry Cooper performing like this. Perhaps, Haye and Chisora should remember that they are representatives for Great Britain outside of the ring as well as in it.
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