By Jason Peck – It’s been a day or so since the brawl in Munich that captured more attention than the title fight itself, time enough to get a better feel for what happened. I’ve been reading message board, articles, press releases…I don’t know who to be more disgusted with, Dereck Chisora or the fans that minimized his poor behavior.
“Well, many would call his behavior unsportsmanlike, but I feel…” “may be inappropriate, but he’s an exciting prospect…” “Why punish them for making HW boxing exciting again?” “at least he got people talking…” “Well, Gabriel Campillo got robbed in Texas on the same night, and that’s bad for boxing too.” “Well, maybe is bad, but it’s not as bad as when Margarito loaded his gloves and Tyson bit someone’s ear off.”
You know you’ve got trouble when the best defense is that you’re less bad than Mike Tyson.
Here’s the thing that’s pissing me off – people are acting like being good at boxing makes someone a better person. It’s a common mistake – in America we act like throwing a good spiral makes a football player a better man, and I’m sure that British people act like kicking a field goal makes a futball player a better man.
Under this way of thinking, abuse and insults directed toward the Klitschko brothers is fine to those who dislike the Ukrainians – they’re boring automatons who have ruined the heavyweight division. Unacceptable behavior by a clown like Chisora is fine – he’s just stirring the pot, showing his fearlessness and making everyone talk about boxing. Let’s see last the last time the Klitschkos made anyone in the English-speaking world talk.
Say you don’t like either Klitschko brother. You’re entitled to not like them. But you not liking them, not liking their style – that doesn’t affect the reality that they are role models and stand-up gentlemen. Read anything about them, and you see a consistent history of the two going out of their way to make the world better for people other than themselves.
Both the Klitschko brothers work with UNESCO and founded charities to children in developing countries; both brothers have received numerous humanitarian awards for their efforts. More recently Wlad even paid the medical bills of former opponent Zoran Vujecic, who struggles with multiple sclerosis.
Then you have Chisora.
Maybe you like his dismissive attitude toward long odds, his unpredictable hijinks and outspoken behavior. To those who think boxing has gotten far too gentlemanly and too sanitized, he’s a few breaths of fresh air.
Guess what? He’s still a thug.
His criminal record is spotted with ugly moments like assaults on a police officer, and possession of an illegal weapon. In 2009, he received a four-month suspension from boxing for biting his opponent. In November 2010, he was found guilty of assaulting his girlfriend and somehow avoided jail time.
“Your behaviour on 28 May was disgraceful and downright humiliating,” Judge Quentin Purdy said after the last conviction. “You used violence on this young lady and then to heap ignominy on her you turned her over and slapped her on the bottom repeatedly.”
Bravely going 12 rounds with a Klitschko doesn’t un-assault, doesn’t un-humiliate the woman in question.
Chisora a miserable ogre with a sustained history of poor conduct, and unlike the Klitschkos there’s little evidence to contradict a life of violence and selfishness. Being in the boxing scene allowed him a convenient excuse for thuggish behavior that would earn him even more citations if done in the outside world. Watching the video of the Munich brawl, I saw less the behavior of a man defending his honor, and more the behavior of a loose animal that should be shot before it bites someone.
“At least he got people talking,” said one commenter.
Look what they ARE talking about, a circus brawl rather than an actual fight. Floyd Mayweather got people talking about boxing when he bashed Jeremy Lin’s race on Twitter – that didn’t do anything for boxing either.
Maybe Chisora shouldn’t be banned for life, maybe he should. I’ll leave the decision in the hands of the BBBoC.
But don’t say he didn’t do anything bad. Don’t drag yourself down there with him.