A boxing event in Trabzon, Turkey, ended in disorder after a light heavyweight bout between Russia’s Sergey Gorokhov and hometown fighter Emirhan Kalkan broke down into a mass brawl inside and around the ring. The incident occurred at a sports hall in the Beşirli district.
Turkish outlet Haberler reported that tensions spilled over during the contest, forcing officials to step in. Cumhuriyet, citing footage from the scene, reported that dozens of people became involved and that chairs, punches and kicks were seen during the chaos before the match was abandoned.
What Sparked the Brawl
Reports in Turkish media place the flashpoint around the third round, though the exact trigger is being described differently depending on the source. Haberler said an argument between the sides continued instead of cooling off as the fighters moved toward their corners, after which trainers and officials became involved and the ring quickly turned into a melee.
Cumhuriyet and other Turkish reports said the tension rose after what was described as a disrespectful act from the Russian side. Russian-language coverage quickly picked up the story, though most of it appears to rely on Turkish reporting rather than firsthand statements from sanctioning bodies or promoters.
At the time of writing, there does not appear to be a widely circulated official English-language statement from the UBO, the local commission, or the fighters’ camps giving a full account of what happened. The core facts are clear: Gorokhov, Kalkan, team members and spectators were caught up in a violent brawl that forced the event to be abandoned.