Brno, Czech Republic: Boxing spectators brawl ringside, with ambulance staff and at hospital, match victor says Roma were targeted, police are investigating
A gala evening of boxing matches called "The Ring 14", held at the Bobycentrum in Brno, Czech Republic, on Saturday 8 February, turned into a mass brawl among spectators to the title match between Pavel Albrecht and Milan Procházka. The conflict continued at the Trauma Hospital where one of the injured sought treatment.
Police are investigating the incident, the organizers are distancing themselves from the violence, and the victor of the match, Pavel Albrecht, is suggesting it was a targeted attack. The buildup to the match was very emotional, not just because of the boxers’ rivalry as sportsmen, but also because of the personal disputes dominating their relationship which they have publicized through social media, as has now become an unfortunate custom.
Albrecht, surprisingly, was the ultimate victor already in the second round. When he took over the title, the situation in the stands escalated.
Some spectators disagreed with the result and a brawl erupted ringside.
Tension in the stands erupted in scuffling
“According to our information, some spectators expressed their disagreement with the match outcome in an unacceptable way and the organizers tried to eject them. By the time we arrived, the spectators were already outdoors and had scattered,” police spokesperson David Chaloupka said.
Emergency medical responders also intervened. “We treated a middle-aged man whom we transported to the Trauma Hospital to investigate the seriousness of his injuries,” said Michaela Bothová, spokesperson for the emergency rescue services.
The situation did not calm down even while the injured man was being put in the ambulance. “The handover of the patient happened as the scuffles continued and our colleagues, unfortunately, became part of them. First they defended the patient, then themselves. One colleague suffered slight injuries,” Bothová said.
Organizers: We did the maximum to provide security
The organizers of the gala evening, Fusion Fight League and Patron Boxing, commented that they had placed a great emphasis on security and that the violence among the fans is a great disappointment to them. “Before the event started, we were aware the match was emotionally tense, and for that reason we beefed up the event management, the security, increased control over who entered and restricted access to backstage. When the match ended and Pavel Albrecht won, the entire hall was up on its feet and situations which were unclear arose in different sectors of the stands. We don’t know who initiated the conflict, we have video recordings and we will analyze them,” the organizers said.
Fusion Fight League and Patron Boxing also said they have never before had to deal with such an incident at their events and that the situation is a lesson for them. “We did our maximum to provide security, but the unanticipated activity of some fans sparked a reaction that would have been difficult to prevent,” their statement says.
Albrecht: This was planned! They assaulted a Romani man!
New champion Pavel Albrecht posted a sharply-worded statement on the incident to social media suggesting that his rival’s dissatisfied fans are behind the conflict. “I am clearly writing here that Procházka’s people were dissatisfied and assaulted a Romani man, that’s why it all began. Disgusting! Ugh! He planned it all, he said from the start he was planning something. Share this publicly, they can’t get away with this!!!” Albrecht responded to the police statement.
According to Romani social media users who posted about the incident on Saturday, 8 February, the whole incident was provoked by security. According to Procházka, however, the brawl did not start because of dissatisfaction with the outcome.
“Things went wrong in my opponent’s corner, on my side there was calm and order. Allegedly something happened before my match between security and fans of Pavel Albrecht. It was calm on my side even though I lost,” Procházka stressed to CNN Prima NEWS.
What you need to know
In Brno, Czech Republic, the boxing gala event called “The Ring 14” ended in rioting – after the final match between Pavel Albrecht and Milan Procházka, a scuffle erupted in the stands.
The incident even continued outside the hospital where an injured man was treated, police are investigating the situation.
Albrecht, the victor, claims the assault targeted Romani people, while the defeated Procházka rejects the idea that his fans were responsible.
Organizers are distancing themselves from the violence and claim their security measures were sufficient but could not prevent the conflict.
