by Johnny Walker

The first installment of the BoxNation documentary Haye/Chisora: Beyond The Ropes that aired this week in the UK was a fairly placid affair, following David Haye as he goes to Luxembourg to pick up his fight license and a showing a few training scenes in the gym as Haye and Dereck “Del Boy” Chisora prepare for their grudge bout in London on July 14.

Things got more interesting toward the end of the episode, however, when Chisora’s trainer Don Charles admitted getting into a brawl with his charge after feeling disrespected by something Chisora said to him.

The fiery Charles had his jaw broken by a punch from David Haye in the infamous Munich press conference brawl and subsequently even called Haye out for a fight– not with Chisora, but with him.

“I’m not a nutter,” Charles says near the end of the program.

“[Dereck] asked me to take his head gear off and I physically attacked him.

“It’s the worst thing that’s happened since I’ve been with him and I’ve been with him for 10 years; I’m like a father to him.

“I regret attacking him because you should never put your hands on someone but I’m a human being with emotions so don’t disrespect me.

“I will not tolerate it. My mother and father don’t talk to me like that and certainly not someone I’ve helped for 10 years to become the boxer he is.”

The episode ends with Charles musing if he will soon lose his job.

“[Dereck] employs me to train him as does his manager [Frank Warren] so it’s up to them if I’m fired or not.”

Soon the British media was abuzz with the notion that the Chisora camp was in disarray, giving the already serenely confident favorite Haye even more of an edge over his underdog rival as the big day approaches.

However, the incident now seems to have been included as a titillating tidbit to give the initial episode of the documentary a dramatic finish, to keep the press interested and to keep viewers coming back for more.

The Chisora camp now insists that the blow-up between fighter and trainer was nothing out of the ordinary.

“This has been made out to be a big deal because people don’t see what goes on behind the gym doors, which is why the BoxNation Beyond The Ropes show will give viewers unbelievable access to the fight,” Chisora says in a press release.

“We are always arguing and rowing ahead of fights, it’s nothing new. When a fight as big as this against Haye is coming up, tensions are going to be high because it means everything to me to win. We were both cool again soon after and now we’re focused on beating Haye.”

Charles is singing the same tune as his fighter.

“What’s happened has happened and we’ve moved on from it now,” says the trainer.

“You see incidents like this in other sports when passions are running high like Alex Ferguson and David Beckham a few years ago.

“I want Dereck to win the fight as there is so much at stake and that is our primary aim.”

28,000 tickets have been sold so far for the UK heavyweight grudge match, which will take place at the West Ham soccer stadium. The fight will also be televised live in the UK on BoxNation, on EPIX in America, on Sky Sports in Germany, and in 60 other countries.

Leave a Comment