Packer versus Gyngell: A brutal David and Goliath battle - 6th May 2014

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WATCH the exclusive vieo of Packer and Gyngell fighting

“You can bugger off boys, I’m off to work,” Gyngell told reporters today

Packer text message sparked Sunday afternoon brawl

AN angry text fired off by billionaire James Packer demanding Channel 9 boss David Gyngell remove a news truck from outside his Bondi Beach pad ignited the sensational street brawl between two of Sydney’s highest-profile businessmen.

James Packer and David Gyngell fighting in Bondi / Picture: Beirne/Chown/Media-mode.com Source: Supplied

The text, sent moments after the casino mogul jetted into Sydney from Jerusalem, left Mr Gyngell seething with rage after months of escalating tensions between the friends of 35 years.

“I didn’t even know you were in f ... ing Australia,’’ Mr Gyngell is heard yelling in a video of the bare-knuckled fist fight on Sunday afternoon.

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The Daily Telegraph understands Mr Packer seriously considered suing his once-close friend for assault on the basis three witnesses could testify on his behalf.

However, he decided not to inflame the situation further.

James Packer and David Gyngell fighting in Bondi / Picture: Beirne/Chown/Media-mode.com Source: Supplied

After touching down in Sydney, Mr Packer, Australia’s richest man, was believed to have been intending to catch up with his rumoured love interest, supermodel Miranda Kerr, who arrived on Friday.

A well-placed source said the Crown Resorts chairman was annoyed when told by his security team that the truck, bearing a Nine logo, was parked near his $22 million beach pad.

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“Packer basically told him to remove his f ... ing truck from his street,’’ one source said.

Mr Gyngell, the hard-charging CEO of the $2.2 billion Nine Entertainment company, texted back that he would be waiting at his home to explain.

James Packer and David Gyngell fighting in Bondi / Picture: Beirne/Chown/Media-mode.com Source: Supplied

But one witness reportedly said Mr Gyngell engaged in a heated phone conversation just moments before Mr Packer arrived, saying he was “going to punch” him.

When Mr Packer arrived at his luxury retreat just before 2pm on Sunday, he found Mr Gyngell’s white Audi SUV parked blocking his private driveway on Sir Thomas Mitchell Rd.

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Exclusive photographs show Mr Packer turning sharply on his heel after getting out of his chauffeur-driven sedan to face Mr Gyngell.

“Within seconds it just exploded,’’ said photographer Brendan Beirne, who witnessed the fight. “They were beating the hell out of each other — fists were flying.’’

When they were mates: David Gyngell and James Packer in happier times. Source: Supplied
Mr Packer, 47, his face red with rage, neck veins bulging and jaw clenched, was seen throwing at least three punches, while still grasping his BlackBerry in one hand.

Mr Gyngell, 46, in bare feet and with grizzly beard, dodged the blows like a martial-arts veteran and let fly with a series of punches to Mr Packer’s head.

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The pair, who have been friends since school and acted as best men at their respective weddings, exchanged a torrent of expletives.

Wearing a cap emblazoned with the logo of his RatPac movie company, Mr Packer used his towering 198cm frame to clamp Mr Gyngell in a headlock and wrestled him to the footpath.

It took three men — Mr Packer’s security guard, his chauffeur and a fellow passenger in his car — to break up the melee and shepherd the mogul inside his house.

“Leave it James, just leave it,’’ one of the men said.

A man believed to be a doctor arrived at the Packer home about an hour later, while another person returned to the footpath to find his sunglasses.

Some of the photos show the burly Mr Packer with his right eye bruised, his left cheekbone swelling up quickly and his nose sporting a red mark. A source close to him denied he had lost a tooth.

“Both of them are terrible fighters,’’ another source said.

With the fight leaving both men embarrassed yesterday, it emerged the Channel 9 truck that triggered the violence had been parked nearby by off-duty employee Nick Tokic, who intended to use the vehicle for an early-morning job.

“I happen to live there (near Mr Packer’s house),’’ he said. A source said the misunderstanding over the truck was “the straw that broke the back” after months of verbal sparring between the pair.

The relationship has been rocky since Mr Gyngell confronted his friend and questioned his decision to divorce his second wife, Erica Baxter, eight months ago. Ms Baxter and their three children have since moved to a $14.7 million mansion in Los Angeles.

Media executives have said Mr Gyngell has also made disparaging remarks about Mr Packer’s ability to win government and media support for his $2 billion high-rollers’ casino resort planned for Sydney’s Barangaroo.

The Nine chief was also unimpressed that his long-time friend had grown close to Seven West Media owner Kerry Stokes and News Corp Australia chairman Lachlan Murdoch, particularly when he was leading Network Ten.

Mr Murdoch and Crown executive deputy chairman John Alexander, who is also on Mr Stokes’ Seven West Media board, visited Mr Packer yesterday at his beach house.

A box of seafood and gourmet food, including blueberries, bacon, caviar and pastrami, were ordered in.

A calm and freshly shaven Mr Gyngell also visited about 9am, telling Mr Packer he was sorry for the confrontation.

Asked whether Mr Packer had a glass jaw, Mr Gyngell said “nah mate”.

“Thirty-five years of friendship doesn’t change on a few of those — thanks guys,” he said before heading off to his office.

Nine issued a joint statement yesterday saying the pair remained friends and over 35 years had their “fair share of ups and downs”.

“Life is complex and today is a sad day for James,’’ one source said.

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