Audley Harrison has been fined twice as much as Herbie Hide following the disturbances which followed Harrison's defeat of Mathew Ellis last month. The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC) today fined the Olympic gold medallist £1,000 for his part in the shameful scenes following his 11th straight professional win at Bethnal Green's York Hall on May 31. He was also ordered to pay £600 costs. The promoter of the bout, Jess Harding, was given the same punishment, while Hide was fined £500 with £300 costs following today's disciplinary inquiry.
Hide, who had been invited to sit ringside by BBC television as Harrison beat the Blackpool boxer in two rounds, taunted Harrison after the fight and pushed a woman as a stampede broke out in the London venue. Immediately beforehand, Olympic champion Harrison marked his victory by seizing the ring microphone and asking fans whether his next opponent should be Frank Bruno - who was also present at the bout - or Hide. Hide, who famously brawled with Michael Bentt at a pre-fight press conference in 1994, was visibly angered by the supporters' chant of `Bruno, Bruno' and reacted.
The security firm employed by Harrison - separate from the event security supplied by Headline - came in for the fiercest criticism after video footage clearly showed some of their members, wearing `A-Force Security' T-shirts, involved in the chair-throwing melee. The BBBC launched an inquiry the next day, culminating in today's sub-committee ruling. BBBC general secretary Simon Block confirmed that "some specific allegations were made against Herbie Hide, Audley Harrison and Jess Harding - not all proven - but all were found guilty of specific matters".
Filed by Barry J Whyte
