How a notorious Underbelly gangster beat Aussie boxing legend Barry Michael so badly he thought he would die in vicious nightclub attack witnessed by Chopper Read

Aussie boxing champion Barry Michael has opened up connected a harrowing brushwood successful a Melbourne nightclub which near him with a career-ending wounded astatine the hands of an infamous underworld figure.

The erstwhile IBF World Junior Lightweight rubric holder has revisited a chilling incidental that occurred astatine Melbourne's Lazars nightclub successful 1987.

Michael, past 32, entered the King Street constitution with his archetypal woman Sandy and a person and was rapidly spotted by notorious crime boss Alphonse Gangitano - known arsenic the Black Prince of Lygon Street.

Michael had defeated Aussie boxer Lester Ellis 2 years erstwhile successful an epic home grudge lucifer - and Gangitano was progressive with the promotion of Ellis’ fights.

'We benignant of waved to each other,' Michael told The Little Fish podcast.

'I hadn't seen him successful years... and each of a abrupt a vessel of champagne came implicit and the waiter said "This is from Mr Gangitano and he'd similar to talk" and to chopped a agelong communicative abbreviated we went and talked.

The transgression brag wanted Michael to springiness Ellis a rematch, which the champion pug says helium was unfastened to.

'I'm telling Alphonse that I'll combat him (Ellis) anytime, let's get unneurotic with the different guys, my team, which was immoderate colourful waterfront identities, and we'll benignant this combat out, erstwhile each of a abrupt my archetypal woman started screaming,' Michael explained.

'I've turned astir and my mate Simon is unconscious and being carried retired by the bouncers. One of Alphonse's friends had conscionable king-hit him coming disconnected the dancefloor.

'I was conscionable surrounded by rather a fewer guys with decease successful their eyes and the archetypal happening I thought was "I'm astir apt dead" due to the fact that I cognize they carried pistols and whatever.

'I turned to Alphonse and said "You f***ing so-and-so, you've acceptable maine up" and he's jumped maine and I went backmost connected a sofa - and I ne'er got disconnected it...

'They conscionable bushed the crap retired of me. Chopper Read reckons helium was determination - I didn't callback seeing him - it was each a spot of a blur.

'That nighttime I was concussed... my chemoreceptor was smashed close nether my near eye. He (Chopper Read) reckons they smashed maine with 1 of those solid ashtrays.

'Alphonse latched onto my close feature - helium tried to wound my close feature off.'

The satellite champion stumbled retired of the nine a messiness and went consecutive to infirmary to dainty his injuries.

He chose not to property charges against Gangitano and his henchmen due to the fact that 'there would person been repercussions' for his family.

Michael besides believes the brutal beating heavy impacted his defence of the satellite rubric 4 months aboriginal against Rocky Lockridge.

'After the beating successful Lazars, that was the extremity of me,' helium said.

'Motivation wise, I mislaid the desire, I wasn't the same...

'Take thing from Lockridge due to the fact that helium was a large fighter, but astatine my precise champion I could person beaten him. And my chemoreceptor broke successful the archetypal infinitesimal of the archetypal circular against Lockridge - which was aft having being reconstructed.'

On January 16, 1998. Alphonse Gangitano was changeable dead, wearing lone his underwear, arsenic helium stood successful the laundry of his Melbourne home.

His decease is wide regarded arsenic 1 of the aboriginal events successful Melbourne's gangland killings that spanned from 1998 to 2010. 

Vince Colosimo would aboriginal play the relation of Gangitano successful the archetypal Underbelly TV series.