Ten years ago, on May 5, 2014, some of the most famous paparazzi photos of all time were taken on a Sydney street as billionaire James Packer and best friend David Gyngell engaged in their now legendary Bondi brawl.
It caused a huge furore at the time, which reached far beyond the posh beach area of Bondi where the men threw punches at each other.
These extraordinary photos show the moment two of Australia’s richest men – both media giants in Australia at the time – started fighting in the street after an argument.
Mr. Packer and Mr. Gyngell had been friends since childhood, and Mr. Gyngell was best man at Mr. Packer’s wedding to his second wife Erica Baxter, a marriage that ended in 2013.
At the time, Mr Packer owned Channel 9 and Mr Gyngell was its CEO.
Ten years ago, on May 5, 2014, some of the most famous paparazzi photos of all time were taken on a Sydney street as billionaire James Packer and best friend David Gyngell began their now legendary Bondi brawl (pictured)
Cash grab: The fight between the men who had known each other for decades made headlines around the world
Beach bums: Mr. Packer and Mr. Gyngell’s dress code gave no indication of what they are both worth
Mr Gyngell, now aged 58, apparently confronted his friend outside his Sydney home on that fateful day, and the pair began rowing.
They had to be separated by bodyguards and were later fined $500 each for “offensive behavior.”
Mr Gyngell accepted responsibility for the fight and promised to cooperate with the police investigation into the incident.
“He fully accepts that he was the instigator of the incident,” the spokesperson said. “It’s clear that if he hadn’t shown up at Packer in an angry mood, the confrontation would never have happened.”
Despite their frustrations with each other turning into violence, the pair soon told friends they regretted the fight and insisted they would remain on good terms.
Mr Gyngell’s wife, Leila McKinnon, was quick to joke about the controversy, comparing it to the fight between Beyoncé’s wife Jay-Z and her sister Solange Knowles.
“Okay, they are much better dressed and a bit more discreet, but today I feel a kinship with Beyonce, Solange and Jay Z,” she tweeted.
Solange was caught on camera at New York’s Standard Hotel wildly attacking Jay Z after the Met Gala afterparty, requiring burly security guards to break up the brawl.
Mrs McKinnon’s light-hearted attack on her husband and his best man was well received by her Twitter followers.
Mr Gyngell retired from running Channel 9 in 2005, but returned to the network in September 2007.
The fight continued as their bodyguards (pictured) tried to separate the pair
One of the bodyguards looks on in apparent disbelief at what happened
Both fighters were wearing training gear as they got the exercise they didn’t expect
In this photo of the fight, Mr. Packer appeared to have a word in Mr. Gyngell’s ear
Mr Gyngell accepted responsibility for the fight and promised to cooperate with the police investigation into the incident. They were both later fined $500 each for ‘offensive behaviour’
He resigned again in 2015 after eight years at the helm of the network.
Mr Packer, 56, sold Channel 9 between 2006 and 2008 to focus on casinos and tourism.
After struggling with his weight in recent years, he has been on a health kick, losing more than 33kg in the past two years.
The billionaire mogul recently showed off the results of his weight loss during an afternoon walk in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.