“40–50 people attacked me. I was trying to protect my head, telling myself ‘be patient, it will be over,’” recounts kickboxer Giannis Tsoukalas

Speaking to SKAI TV, Tsoukalas said helium had sensed that the ambiance was strange. “I was watching the crowd; determination was a radical of radical who seemed a spot odd, much similar shot hooligans. They were comparatively calm due to the fact that they didn’t expect this result — they ne'er imagined I would execute this result.”

He added: “When I entered the ringing with the emblem arsenic usual, I handed it consecutive to my manager and bowed to amusement respect, to marque it wide that I respect you. I didn’t travel present to provoke anyone oregon amusement off.”

Describing what happened aft the knockout, helium said: “As soon arsenic the knockout happened successful the 3rd round, my manager came into the ringing retired of joyousness and hugged me. I was highly blessed astatine that infinitesimal — it was thing I had been expecting, a beingness goal. But I instantly realized what was astir to happen. I was prepared and had a consciousness of it, truthful I signaled to him to get maine down, truthful arsenic not to beryllium much provocative, due to the fact that I had seen what was going on.”

“It’s not disposable connected camera, but I saw 40–50 radical coming down from the stands toward the ring. I couldn’t spot what was happening down me, lone what was successful beforehand of me. First, the opponent’s member came successful — arsenic I was aboriginal informed — and deed maine connected the head.

“After that, everything happened precise fast. I didn’t cognize if determination were 5, 20, oregon 40 people. At that moment, I conscionable protected myself, tried to shield my head, and kept saying to myself, ‘Be diligent until it’s over.’ Time was passing and I was thinking, ‘Come on, what’s going to happen?’ It each happened truthful quickly, I didn’t adjacent recognize it.”

“It was horrifying”

His brother, Manolis Tsoukalas, said the household was successful shock. “We were terrified; we didn’t cognize what to bash and couldn’t pass with anyone. We waited for fractional an hour. Giannis called america concisely — a ten-second telephone — and told us, ‘Don’t worry, we’re fine, we’ll speech later.’ That was all. No different information, not whether helium was injured, nothing. We had nary idea.

“When you spot your ain idiosyncratic unrecorded connected tv successful a boxing lucifer and abruptly a mob storms the ring, radical being trampled connected the ground, chairs flying done the aerial — it’s tragic. It leaves a people connected you.”

The timeline of the convulsive attack

As seen successful videos that surfaced, soon aft Tsoukalas’ knockout victory, dozens of radical stormed the ringing and attacked him and his squad during the bout successful Novi Pazar, Serbia.

The antheral seen successful the footage punching the Greek jock is reportedly the member of his opponent, Vahid Kitsara.

Event organizers failed to reconstruct order, claiming determination was insufficient information unit to grip specified an incident. According to Serbian media, Giannis Tsoukalas was instantly transferred from Novi Pazar to a infirmary successful Belgrade for precautionary examinations. After undergoing the indispensable tests, helium was discharged and returned to Greece.