Tensions were running high in London’s O2 Arena on Saturday night.
One of the more unusual main events in recent memory had just taken place, with Tony Bellew benefiting from an unfortunate injury to rival David Haye to claim a late stoppage.
After being limited to the use of just one leg midway through the all-British grudge match, Haye was up against it and simply couldn’t generate the power off his back foot to trouble Liverpool’s Bellew.
Once the latter rounds arrived, Haye was unable to put any weight at all on his right leg and collapsed through the ropes on two occasions before his corner, led by Shane McGuigan, threw in the towel in the 11th round.
The war of words ended with a white flag https://t.co/MiLo4qVUNF
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) March 5, 2017
It was a disappointing affair for Haye, who had been vociferous in his belief that Bellew would be put away early and brutally in his heavyweight debut.
And it was likely Haye’s trash talk that prompted a number of Liverpudlian fight fans inside the arena to taunt ‘The Hayemaker’ as he limped back to his changing room.
But, in astonishing footage appearing online, tempers seemingly boiled over to the point that a member of Haye’s entourage, identified by the Sun and the Mirror as McGuigan (but it’s impossible to tell due to the quality of the clip), had an ill-advised altercation with a Bellew supporter.
https://twitter.com/Kanulty6/status/838196737021988865
The background of the admittedly grainy footage seemingly shows a member of Haye’s team throw a right hand in the direction of a fan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c5Y9Jwi6Ss
There is no context around what led to the clash but there is no place in boxing for scenes like the above.
