Saturday’s UBO world title boxing match had more than just punches exchanged.
The bout saw Russian light heavyweight Sergei Gorokhov claim victory over Turkey’s Emirkhan Kalkan via stoppage, but things turned chaotic soon after.
As Gorokhov celebrated his win at the Besirli Sports Hall in Trabzon, an eruption of violence occurred in the ring, fueled by understandably upset fans targeting the winner.
Initially, Gorokhov attempted to extend a handshake to Kalkan, but his efforts were met with hostility from Kalkan’s corner. This quickly escalated into a significant brawl involving the coaches of both fighters.
The situation blurred as it quickly drew in a crowd of onlookers, with Gorokhov raising his hands, seemingly trying to calm things down amid the turmoil.
It all started with thrown cups and escalated to chairs being wielded as makeshift weapons within the ring.
While UBO has yet to release a statement regarding the bizarre turn of events, Gorokhov’s knockout win has been annulled, shifting the outcome to a no contest due to the violent disruption.
Both teams are likely to face consequences for their roles in the altercation.
Kalkan expressed his disappointment about the incident, stating, “I wish that hadn’t happened.” He mentioned needing four stitches from the scuffle, but he also contended that Gorokhov instigated the violence, claiming that the video doesn’t tell the complete story.
In response to the chaos, Gorokhov echoed his dissatisfaction, albeit not without throwing in his own criticisms of Kalkan. “There were probably about 80 people attacking us,” he recounted. “After we scored a decisive win in the second round, they came into the ring and assaulted us after knocking their fighter out twice.”
He further noted that his trainer suffered a head injury and will be undergoing an MRI as a precaution.
