Boxing fans were taken to hospital following the Gervonta Davis vs Rolando Romero fight amid fears that an active shooter was inside the Barclays Center.
Close to 20,000 fans were in attendance at the New York venue on Saturday night to watch 'Tank' brutally knockout Romero in the sixth round. Davis defended his WBA lightweight title with the win and remained undefeated.
With escalating tensions over mass shootings in the US following recent events, fans at the Barclays Center went into turmoil after sounds of "gunshots" were reportedly heard. Tennis star Naomi Osaka, who was amongst those in the area, said she was told there was an active shooter on the premises.
"I was just in the Barclays Center and suddenly I heard shouting and saw people running," she wrote. "We were being yelled at that there was an active shooter and we had to huddle in a room and close the doors, I was so f****ng petrified man."
A video from Ring Magazine reporter Ryan Songalia shows crowd members desperately trying to get back in the arena, as he wrote: "Scary moment as crowds pour back into Barclays Center, my fear was a shooting but those fears proved unfounded."
Boxing journalist Chris Mannix revealed that fans frantically tried to leave the venue but rushed back inside once realising the situation was taking place in the concourse. "Sound of gunshots inside Barclays Center," he wrote. "Frightening moments. Hundreds of fans started to rush back into the arena from the concourse. People -- including media -- ducking for cover."
According to ESPN's Mike Coppinger, a Barclays Center security supervisor said there was a person with a gun in the concourse of the venue. He later revealed the New York Police Department downplayed reports of an active shooter but admitted people were injured during the stampede.
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"NYPD detective Adam Navarro tells ESPN “there was no gun whatsoever.” Not sure what the sound was that scared so many people into thinking there was a gun fired," Coppinger wrote.
"Detective Navarro of the NYPD tells ESPN 10 people with various injuries were transported to a hospital following a stampede outside Barclays Center following a “sound disturbance” but there were no shots fired and no arrests made."
Mannix also later confirmed that he later told no gunshots were fired, writing: "No shots were fired inside Barclays, a source told SI. Whatever happened took place just outside the building."
