I had to defend myself – Haye

David Haye insists he was acting in self-defence during the shocking brawl with Dereck Chisora.

The two men scrapped at a press conference in Munich on February 18, where Chisora had just lost a brave challenge for Vitali Klitschko’s WBC title.

Chisora started the confrontation and Haye landed the first blow with a fist clutching a glass bottle. Haye then fought with Chisora’s trainer and attempted to hit him on the head with a camera tripod.

Zimbabwe-born Chisora, 28, claimed Haye had “glassed” him and repeatedly vowed to “shoot” and “burn” the former WBA champion.

He has since apologised for his actions while Haye has not.

Haye, 31, reiterated on That Sunday Night Show he was acting in self-defence.

He said: “He comes over to me, in my face, I feel his knuckles in my face, what am I supposed to do? I’ve got to close the show.

“Look at all the camera angles. I had no other option. I could have stood there with my hands by my side and got punched, kicked or spat at. The guy has said on television he is going to beat me up and break my jaw. Why wouldn’t I defend myself?

“I’ve got no desire to fight Chisora inside the ring or outside the ring. He’s lost his last three fights.”

Haye accepts the unsavoury incident looked even worse because his hand was holding a bottle when he punched Chisora.

“I can understand how that looks but I was there as part of the media. It wasn’t a beer, either – it was a bottle of lemonade.

“It was a glass bottle but I didn’t hit him with that bottle – I hit him with my fist. If I’d had my mobile phone in my hand, it would have been a mobile phone. If I’d had a hot dog in my hand, it would have been (that).

“If I could rewind time, of course, I wouldn’t go down there (to the press conference). But you can’t turn back time.”

Asked what he would say to Chisora now, Haye said: “I’d say probably ‘check yourself into some anger management clinic’. I’m being serious. It’s not a joke – he genuinely has problems with his anger.”

Chisora was arrested, questioned and bailed by Munich police last week, with detectives waiting to speak to Haye.

Haye apparently went into hiding immediately after the incident before jetting off to Las Vegas for a holiday.