I confess that I had started to wonder whether the "mystery pugilist" was indeed real, or whether there was some deep twist in the story that wasn't being reported--like the rumor that a drunken Mr. Dobbous had started the whole thing. It seemed odd to me that after more than 24 hours nothing else about the man had turned up.
But the interview appears to confirm the basic story, as well as adding some interesting details. In it we learn:
- The brawl actually took place on August 1.
- Mr. Dobbous is still in Istanbul where he has been in contact with the Irish consulate.
- He appears to have more than a casual link with Turkey as he speaks Turkish--albeit with a "thick Irish-Kuwaiti accent"
- He broke his hand, injured his shoulder and received a knife wound in the back during the fight. His left arm is still in a sling.
- He also lost his phone, a watch and a gold chain.
- He claims not to have been scared but expressed annoyance that his attackers wouldn't "fight like men...with their bare hands."
- Mr. Dobbous says that he doesn't drink and after accidentally spilling the water bottles, he tried to apologize to the shipowners before he was set upon by the mob.
Here's the original Show TV report, featuring the now famous fight video.
For the fun of it, here's another video of the brawl, this time with a play-by-play by Irish sportscaster Pat Spillane:
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