A world championship boxing fight in Turkey descended into a huge brawl when the coach of a Russian fighter appeared to taunt the opponent.
Turkish boxer Emirhan Kalkan had been facing his Russian opponent Sergey Gorokhov at the Besirli Sports Centre in Trabzon.
They had been competing for the UBO World Champion Belt, a title awarded by the Universal Boxing Organisation, before chaos erupted.
According to local reports, tensions began to rise during the third round of the match.
Footage of the scenes captured Kalkan lying on the ground in the boxing ring after appearing to have been knocked out by the Russian.
While Kalkan is receiving medical attention from the referee, Gorokhov can be seen celebrating loudly as his coach approaches the Turkish boxer.
It appears the pair had become embroiled in a verbal altercation before dramatically escalating.
Soon, several people from both the Russian and Turkish groups began clambering into the ring before it became swarmed with bodies.
Turkish boxer Emirhan Kalkan had been facing his Russian opponent Sergey Gorokhov at the Besirli Sports Centre in Trabzon
Several people from both the Russian and Turkish groups began clambering into the ring before it became swarmed with bodies
Dozens of people were seen throwing punches and kicking each other as the fight spilt out of the boxing ring and into the arena itself
Plastic chairs were seen being tossed to-and-from the ring as the men scrambled on top of each other amid the chaotic brawl.
Dozens of people were seen throwing punches and kicking each other as the fight spilt out of the boxing ring and into the arena itself.
Security personnel attempted to intervene, but were unable to contain the rapidly escalating confrontation, according to local reports.
Announcements calling for calm were blared over the venue’s speakers, but this did not stop the chaos.
Dozens of men continued to climb over the ropes and storm into the ring as the fight continued.
The severity of the brawl forced officials to stop the match before it had officially ended.
Authorities have now launched an investigation into the incident, while videos of the brawl have been widely circulated on social media.
Following the drama, Kalkan said in a statement: ‘I am very upset about what happened, I wish it hadn’t happened, I wish it hadn’t happened, but in such a situation, what was the Russian opponent’s coach doing in our corner?
He runs and comes, makes such a move. I mean, in such environments, a spark can light a fire like that.’
