Boxer confronted fellow punter over trash talk

David Haye has been cleared of assaulting a fellow punter at a Paul Chowdhry comedy gig.

The former world heavyweight boxing champion had been accused of grabbing Nickesh Jhala by the throat and threatening to kill him during the show at the Hammersmith Apollo in October last year.

Jhala reportedly told Westminster magistrates’ court he was ‘petrified and traumatised’ by the confrontation, which took place during the interval.

The boxer believed Jhala, who was sitting behind him, had been making derogatory comments about him and asked him to stop.  CCTV footage showed only that the boxer put his hand on his accuser’s shoulder, not around his throat.

Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring ruled the 41-year-old boxer had no case to answer, cutting the case short.

Published: 5 Oct 2022