Greek fighter Giannis Tsoukalas knocked out local fighter Vahid Kicara, and then he and his team were assaulted by dozens of people who invaded the ring
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A historic kickboxing evening in Novi Pazar, Serbia, ended in scandal and violence. The professional WKU world title final in the -67 kg (148 pounds) category concluded with the KO victory of Greek fighter Giannis Tsoukalas over local fighter Vahid Kicara, but what happened afterward left the most serious image of the night.
As soon as the victory was announced, the ring was invaded by dozens of people who, far from celebrating, began attacks against the visiting team. The reconstruction released by outlet Fightsports.gr and Serbian portal Sportinjo describes total chaos in the arena: punches, kicks, stomps, and even chair throwing, while hundreds of spectators witnessed the scene.
Pavlos Kochliaridis, a member of the champion's corner, recounted that the atmosphere was already heavy and that they tried to act respectfully. "After the impressive victory of Giannis Tsoukalas by knockout, in whose corner were his coach, Nikos Gikas,and me, we entered the ring to celebrate our victory. Without bothering anyone, with great modesty, together with Tsoukalas and PAOK kickboxing athlete Zisi Pangouras", he explained.
According to his testimony, the fighter even "bowed and knelt to show respect to his opponent's fans and to the opponent himself to avoid any incident, since the atmosphere was already tense".
However, the violence broke out seconds later. "While Giannis was on the ground, the opponent's brother punched him, causing the complete fall of the Greek athlete. Then, in a matter of seconds, more than 100 people gathered in the ring and attacked us mercilessly, while we were on the ground trying to protect our ribs and head", the coach stated.
El hermano de Kicara le dio un puñetazo a Tsoukalas
"They kicked us and hit us from behind and from the sides, they stomped on us and threw chairs at us. During two minutesstraight, we were beaten without the police intervening, which finally intervened after two minutes when... Something much worse could have happened. We received blows to the head and ribs".
"We found out from a reliable source that one of the vandals was seen with a knife! A tragic experience. We were miraculously saved and avoided the worst. 100 people attacked us and there were four of us", he added.
The Serbian press confirmed that the battle spread outside the ring and that the police took a long time to intervene due to the small number of personnel. According to Sportinjo, the local force is working to identify those responsible and has anticipated legal measures.
For security reasons, Tsoukalas and his team left Novi Pazar immediately and were transferred to Belgrade for preventive medical examinations. The organizers acknowledged the lack of sufficient security and the investigation continues while the kickboxing world demands explanations.
