- Ugly scenes took place in the boxing ring on Wednesday
- An Australian fight descended into chaos, with a coach being punched
- Shawn Porter demanded severe punishment after incident
The match between Michael Zerafa and Tommy Browne descended into chaos after a riot broke out between the fighters in the center of the ring.
Browne retired from Zerafa after a dominant first round, citing a biceps injury sustained from stopping on his stool.
Australian boxer Zerafa was unimpressed by his opponent’s withdrawal and vented his anger at Browne with a verbal tirade, prompting the loser’s coach to march the boxer around the ring.
That led to a flood of people from both sides entering the squared circle, as Zerafa’s brother broke through the ropes and went straight for Browne’s coach.
He was then photographed with his right hand on the coach’s chin, resulting in shocking scenes.
After the attack, Zerafa could be heard shouting ‘you stop it’ at Browne, before challenging Nikita Tszyu.
‘I was in first gear. Nikita, I’m coming!’
The ugly scenes sparked outrage on social media, with boxing analyst Peter Badel calling for a lifetime ban for Zerafa’s brother.
Boxing coach gets punched by fighter’s brother in ugly scenes in Sydney
Michael Zerafa defeated Tommy Browne after his opponent withdrew after one round
Zerafa was furious that the fight was stopped prematurely and chaos ensued
“I don’t think his brother should go back to boxing. That was outrageous,” Badel said.
American boxing legend Shawn Porter said he wants the case to “go to court.”
“That’s unacceptable. If Michael knows his brother has the ability to do that … he shouldn’t be in his corner,” Porter said.
Zerafa’s brother, dressed in a gray tracksuit, was immediately removed from the premises.
Elsewhere, Nikita Tszyu secured his 10th straight win to move into the top 15 in the world super welterweight rankings after beating Koen Mazoudier in the ninth round.
More to come.