Things got chippy once again between The Challenge star Cory Wharton and his fight opponent Chase DeMoor, as the two reality TV stars appeared at an event to hype up their upcoming boxing match.
Cory, 31, was at a pre-fight press conference with his opponent on Thursday, and things reached a boiling point as the two opponents faced one another on stage to pose for pre-fight photos.
As Cory was jawing with his opponent in a face-off pose, the Too Hot to Handle star lightly grabbed one of Cory’s clenched fists, then pretended to pat him on the head. From there, Cory kept trash-talking, and Chase knocked Cory’s baseball cap off his head.
The Challenge star didn’t appreciate the move. In video footage that Chase shared to his official Instagram page, Cory retaliated for his hat getting knocked off, throwing a punch at Chase’s face as he turned away.
That prompted Chase to rush toward Cory and attempt a punch of his own. By then, personnel was holding both guys apart. Cory tried to get back onto the stage to get his opponent, but the event personnel held both guys back, doing what they could to calm things down.
“Cheap shot was cute, only hit you’ll be getting all night and if that’s all you got, then this fights over,” the 26-year-old Chase wrote in his Instagram video post’s caption.
So far, the two opponents are still scheduled to battle in their scheduled boxing match.
Footage of the scuffle also appeared on various YouTube channels, including the video below showing a close-up look at what went down between Cory and Chase.
An announcer at the event tells the two opponents, “Chill out,” before mentioning to those in attendance, “I told you it was gonna get lively up in here,” as personnel tries to settle things down.
Cory Wharton comments about fight after press conference scuffle
In an Instagram post of his own, the multi-time Challenge finalist commented about being just a few days away from the fight and how he’s “visualized this day” for a long time.
“I just want to put everything together and shut this big clown up,” Cory said of his opponent for this weekend’s event.
“Thank you all for the support, and listen this is the second time this man has put his hands on me & anyone that knows me, knows I’m not going for all that disrespect ✊? I didn’t choose violence this morning but violence chose me. I’ll see you guys September 10,” Cory said in his caption.
His IG video includes a bit more behind-the-scenes as Cory arrives for the press conference and meets up with some of the other fighters participating in the boxing event. Among them are NBA champion and former player Nick “Swaggy P” Young, who was a guest host on a previous Challenge reunion.
As he mentioned in his IG caption, it’s not the first time that things got physical between Cory and Chase during a press conference. There was a minor scuffle at their previous press conference, with the Too Hot to Handle star shoving The Challenge star a bit.
Cory received support from lots of fans and castmates ahead of his fight. He also got a supportive comment from Cheyenne Floyd, his ex, reality TV castmate, and the mother of one of his daughters, Ryder. The Teen Mom star recently went through a scary event in her life, as she was shot at while driving in California.
“KO please & thank you,” Cheyenne wrote in the comments supporting her ex.
Cory last appeared on Season 37 of MTV’s The Challenge, called Spies, Lies & Allies, then opted to take time away from the show. That gave him time to focus on other things, such as spending time with his girlfriend and daughters, participating in a celebrity football game for the Los Angeles Rams, and training for his boxing match.
The boxing event was initially scheduled for late July but got shifted due to one of the participants backing out.
How to watch this weekend’s boxing event
The Challenge’s Cory battles Too Hot to Handle’s Chase on Saturday, September 10, at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Their fight is part of Social Gloves’ No More Talk celebrity boxing event headlined by social media stars Austin McBroom and Aneson Gib.
Other matchups on the card include NFL stars Le’Veon Bell and Adrian Peterson going at it in the ring and former NBA player Nick Young taking on musical artist Minikon. The event has a scheduled start time of 9 p.m. Pacific Time (6 p.m. Eastern Time).
Fans will need to purchase the fight event on SocialGloves.TV to watch Saturday’s No More Talk live streaming online. Once purchased, the event can be streamed online at Social Gloves’ website or through their iOS and Android mobile apps. As of this writing, the event costs $39.99, with Stripe and Paypal among payment options on the website.
Ahead of the big event, they’ll have a weigh-in on Friday, which fans can watch live on the SocialGloves.TV website starting at noon Pacific Time (9 a.m. Eastern Time). Things could get chippy again, as they’ve been known to happen at some weigh-ins for boxing or UFC!
The Challenge Season 38 is TBA for MTV.