No-one who follows boxing, even at a distance, is under any illusions over its immunity from political correctness. 

If you’re looking for culture or enlightenment, a boxing gym or show is the wrong place. 

To put it another way, though ballet and boxing may only be separated by a few pages in the dictionary, and despite both involving the prodigious use of footwork, they are about as close to one another as Mars is to Venus.

But even so, self-control and something approaching decorum has to be present even in this most primitive of sports. 

The lack of both was glaringly obvious within five minutes of the recent press conference in London held to promote the upcoming domestic heavyweight clash between Dereck Chisora and Tyson Fury.

Though Chisora has had his moments of madness in the past, and been heavily criticised for them, on this occasion he was the epitome of restraint and moderation compared to Fury, whose expletive-riddled antics, threats and foul-mouthed tirade brought boxing into disrepute. 

Worse, his vituperative outburst when challenged on it by a reporter in the audience — when the gentleman in question pointed out there were women and children present — leaves no doubt that this is a man out of control.

Boorishness and boxing are too often confused in the minds of some of its proponents and many of its fans. 

Yes, we know boxing is unlike any other sport in that it resides closer to our base instincts and forces those involved to confront the most basic fear of all — physical harm. 

However, it remains a sport governed by rules and a legacy of respect, skill and nobility that has allowed it to endure. 

Fury’s behaviour at the press conference dragged it through the gutter, leaving everybody who was unfortunate enough to witness it wincing at the very idea of him ever reaching the point of placing a world title belt round his waist.

The sad reality though is that the darker side of the sport sells tickets, which however much we may find it uncomfortable to admit, says as much about us as a society as it does about the dysfunctional personalities that often at times find a home between the ropes of a boxing ring.

Maybe there’s something in what Ghandi said after all: “It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence.”