Swiss fans fight on

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33520, 29 April 1974, Page 24

Swiss fans fight on

Zl RICH. The referee hid tinder the rinjj lor safety when Swiss lans ran riot after (diartchai Chionoi (Thailand retained his world tly-weight boxing title in Zurich.

Angry -pectutoi - swarmed into and around the ring, pummelling each oilier and knocking the champion — almost in tears — lo the ground when they realised he had beaten the Swi>s challenger, I . Chervet, on a split points decision. Cushions, bottles, chairs and even water buckets from the boxers’ corners sailed into the ring during incredible scenes at the end of the 15-round bout. The referee. .Mr Walter Cho, of Honolulu, ducked under the ring for safety and crawled out on the other side' as hundreds of howling fans advanced towards him. SPI IT DECISION The compere's first audible words at the end of the fast-, moving fight—“ World cham-; pion”—were drowned by a] deafening roar from the’ packed arena. Officials, spectators and photographers piled into the ring and crowded triumph-j antly around a .smiling!

Chervet and a Swiss tvision commentator added •- the contusion In jubii.i exclaiming "t ht rvet new world champion." it wis n<>l until sex era minutes lan i perplexed officials said Chervet was no. the first Swiss oi the cent ii >, to hold a world boxing I: ■ and that the winner was th--31-vear-old ihai champion The crowd went be: sink when they realised that Chartchai had won bx a J I vote. 1 isl fights erupted ami the Ihai champion's mar i:t; said ihe boxer was punched by fans all the way back n his dressing rooms. "They hit him on the b.n of the head; they even knocked him to the ground " ■ Neither boxer's hand was ever raised in victory, (although Chervet. a 31-yeai (old carpenter, was carried shoulder-high from the ring by cheering fans. The referee scored the fight 71-68 lor Chartchai, while the Thai judge made it 72-67 for the champion, defending his world title for the twelfth time and the Swiss judge 74-69 for Chervet.