Maurice Hawkins was assaulted at a house poker recreation in Florida. [Image: World Poker Tour / Flickr.com]
Twenty-one-time World Collection of Poker Circuit ring winner Maurice Hawkins was concerned in a brawl at a house poker recreation in Palm Seashore County, Florida. Based mostly on video obtained by poker media outlet PokerNews and first-hand accounts, it seems that Hawkins was the sufferer and didn’t provoke the assault.
The one that despatched the video to PokerNews stated Hawkins, who, along with being the all-time WSOP Circuit ring chief, can also be identified for his abrasive trash discuss, was “….working his mouth about how good of a boxer he’s, poking and speaking shit to a different participant who had sufficient.”
One other participant within the recreation, Tray Rock, informed PokerNews that the assault was “completely unprovoked,” explaining: “Maurice and I stated we have been of African American nationality and Eugene stated that’s not a nationality, he googled it. And Maurice was (like) so what. What you wanna do, field about it, and Eugene walked from the two seat to the 7 seat and began punching Maurice whereas he was sitting down.”
A man tried to sucker punch me and sneak assault me. Whereas I’m in my seat.”
In a social media put up on Thursday night time, Hawkins snapped again at some stories that he was “beat up,” saying: “A man tried to sucker punch me and sneak assault me. Whereas I’m in my seat. Then you definitely put up I acquired my ass whoop. Fucking hilarious. What you suppose occurs. If I don’t get grabbed.”
He included a video, seemingly after the incident, of him confronting the assailant, daring the person to attempt to begin a combat with him now that he’s standing and prepared. Different individuals on the dwelling poker recreation separated the 2, urging them to settle down.
Whereas he doesn’t have a historical past of bodily altercations, Hawkins does have a historical past of angering opponents along with his brash demeanor, so it isn’t essentially a shock to listen to somebody say that he was “working his mouth,” although that’s actually no excuse for somebody to assault him.
He has additionally made enemies within the poker world over alleged failure to pay on monetary backing offers. In 2019, a court docket ordered Hawkins to pay backer Randy Garcia $115,828.34, however this April, Garcia went public to say he had but to be paid again.
Additionally in April, Denise Pratt posted a video of Hawkins’ hostile response to her when she confronted him about an alleged debt he owed her. Within the thread on X, Pratt stated: “He’s the worst factor for poker ever.”
