Humburger vs Kincl fight still on, Oktagon boss says after weigh-in

The fight between Dominik Humburger and Patrik Kincl, the main attraction of the Oktagon event in Karlovy Vary, was wrecked by the weigh-in, but the head of the organisation assures fans that the bout will still take place. On Friday Humburger missed the limit on his second attempt, this time by 600 grams, and Kincl refused to step into the cage. A war of words followed, with harsh and even obscene remarks, and thousands of fans took sides with both fighters.

“The last 600 grams are a completely different thing”

“I have no emotions, I understand everyone. When Gambač missed weight in the morning, I looked at Pal (Nerda) and said there would be no fight. I understand the guys, and the people who are shouting, and Patrik, who doesn’t want to fight,” Oktagon boss Ondřej Novotný said at the post-event press conference.

He said that people who have never done the sport themselves often fail to understand that the last 600 grams is not at all the same as 1.2 kilograms. Sometimes a fighter cannot lose even the last 100 grams. Humburger reportedly offered his opponent his entire purse, but Kincl declined.

Losses and a new agreement

“It’s not standard for someone to refuse to fight over 600 grams. It causes strong emotions and arguments. We have to create the conditions and do our job, and the fighters have to do theirs. But I won’t judge them. For us it is a very heavy financial blow, as it is for the brand and the audience. Still, I’m not going to tear their heads off, because I understand it is one of the hardest jobs in the world,” Novotný said.

The fight between the two countrymen was meant to be the main draw of the Karlovy Vary event, and the audience lost the bout they were waiting for most. However, Novotný admitted that a backup plan is already in place. “I would be a bad promoter if I did nothing after a complication like this, into which we had invested possibly tens of millions of crowns and lost that money,” he said. He later clarified that the sides have agreed, contracts are not yet signed, but everyone has shaken hands. It is known when and where the fight will take place.

The conflict has added edge to the bout: just a few days ago there was practically no talk of animosity between the camps, and now the atmosphere around the fight has noticeably heated up.

Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz