Exclusive photos: James Packer, Nine CEO David Gyngell in street brawl

EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: JAMES Packer and Nine CEO David Gyngell’s very public punch-up is believed to be over a Channel Nine van being parked at Packer’s beach property.

IT IS the high-stakes media punch-up that is almost impossible to believe.

Yesterday afternoon, gaming billionaire James Packer got in a vicious fist fight with Nine Entertainment Group CEO David Gyngell on the street in Bondi, Sydney.

News Corporation can reveal exclusive photographs of the moment the former best mates brawled outside Packer’s $20 million dollar beach pad.

The stills show the men aggressively wrestling, before falling to the ground in a head lock.

Some of the photos show the burly Packer with his right eye bruised and turning black and his left-cheekbone swelling up quickly, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Gyngell is unshaven, barefoot and wearing a tracksuit — a far cry from his regular businessman apparel.

“They were beating the hell out of each other — fists were flying,’’ said photographer Brendan Beirne, who witnessed the explosive fight.

“When Packer got out of his car, Gyngell came around to his side of the car and within seconds it just exploded,’’ said Beirne.

Beirne had been following Packer on Sunday in the hope of taking a picture of him with his rumoured love interest, model Miranda Kerr, who arrived back in Australia last week.

Social media laughs at the Packer v Gyngell bust-up

For more exclusive photographs of the brawl, visit the Daily Telegraph.

The brawl took place on Sir Mitchell Thomas Road on Sunday afternoon, but despite being so close to Bondi Beach’s popular strip only a handful of witnesses and paparazzi were present.

On The Project, Packer’s neighbour Chris Walker said teeth were collected off the street. Another neighbour reportedly has them in their possession.

He also said Gyngell was very upset about something Packer had done and called him every name under the sun. “He was very hurt,” Walker told The Project.

Another witness told The Australian, “it was like two mad dogs at each other’s throats”.

Gyngell, who is married to Channel Nine presenter Leila McKinnon, was waiting for 20 minutes outside the property for Packer to arrive home from the airport.

Where the bust-up took place.

Gyngell received a heated phone call from Packer just moments before his car arrived at the scene, with Gyngell repeatedly saying he was “going to punch him”.

Sources have confirmed Packer was told about a Channel Nine news van parked in the street, which caused the furious phone call. Gyngell reportedly turned up to the property to try and calm Packer, and advise him the van belonged to an on-call worker who lived in the street and was not there for a story.

Chris Walker watched the fight unfold.

When Packer’s car pulled up the two men then “just went at each other”, a witness said.

The pair needed to be separated by what appeared to be Packer’s bodyguards. They then retreated to their homes, with a doctor attending the home of Packer.

The pair emerged from crisis talks at Packer’s apartment this morning, and released a joint statement.

It read: “We have been friends for 35 years and still are”.

“In that time we have had our fair share of ups and downs. We respect each other and neither of us will be commenting further.”

News Corporation obtained the exclusive set of photographs from agency Media Mode after outbidding Gyngell’s Nine Entertainment.

Did you see the media bust-up? Contact us on [e-mail].

David Gyngell leaves James Packers unit block.

Hours after the punch up, Gyngell told The Daily Telegraph that Mr Packer doesn’t have a glass jaw.

“Thirty-five years of friendship doesn’t change on a few of those — thanks guys,” he said outside the front of Packer’s waterfront house in Bondi before speeding off in his white Audi 4WD.

The two media men are former flatmates who met at Sydney’s Cranbrook School. Gyngell was best man to Packer at his wedding to Erica Baxter in 2007.

Bondi resident Chris Walker was at the scene, and wrote on Facebook:

“Packer puckered a punch but copped a couple of hits straight to the jaw ... Then they all fell on the concrete fence and I think the other guy broke his face.”

David Gyngell leaves James Packers unit block this morning.

The relationship between the childhood friends is said to have broken down after Packer and his second wife Erica announced their separation six months ago.

Sources say Gyngell confronted his former best man regarding his decision to leave his seven-year marriage — getting Packer off-side.

The Herald Sun understands that the breakdown of Packer’s marriage to Erica was just one of a ‘stack of” issues that led to the punch-up yesterday.

“They’ve been so close for so long, but there’s been a stack of issues they haven’t been seeing eye-to-eye on in the past few months … the breakdown of the marriage is one of them,” a source said.

“This has got nothing to do with business. it’s all personal.”

Leila McKinnon and David Gyngell with son, Edmund at Bondi Beach. Picture: Bradley Hunter

A long-time friend of David Gyngell, who spoke to news.com.au on the condition of anonymity, described yesterday’s punch-up as “completely out of character”.

The woman, who has known Mr Gyngell for more than 20 years and is also an acquaintance of James Packer, said the two grew up together and were “like brothers”.

“They are the closest, best, oldest mates … I’m completely shocked,” she said.

“They’re so familiar, they rib each other … Gynge is one of the few people who would call James on what he wasn’t happy with, on James’s behaviour.

“Gynge absolutely respects him, respects his privacy, he’s very loyal (but) if there was something, he was not intimidated by James.”

The friend was surprised by the altercation because, she said, Mr Gyngell was a very even-tempered man.

When they were buddies ... David Gyngell and James Packer at a party in 2003.

Gyngell told The Australian back in 2011 that he and Packer were “like brothers”. “But like brothers, we are very competitive,” he said.

Much has been written about Gyngell’s friendship with Packer, particularly after Packer took a 9 per cent stake in Ten Network Holdings in 2010 and made it clear to some members of Ten’s board — which included Lachlan Murdoch, a director at News Corporation (parent company of the deal), mining magnate Gina Rinehart and WIN Corporation owner Bruce Gordon — that he wanted Gyngell to run the network.

David Gyngell was waiting for Packer to return to his home.

The Australian reported at the time that some observers saw this as further evidence of a cosy set of relationships running Australia’s media. For his part, Gyngell says the Ten job never tempted him. “It would be distracting, to say the least, to work for that board. This idea that I wouldn’t compete with Ten because my best mate is a shareholder is absolute bullshit. We are like brothers. But like brothers, we are very competitive. I look forward to smashing Ten.”

The reason for their fight is unknown.

Packer is known for his fiery temper. In 2008, he confronted the former CEO of Channel Seven, David Leckie at a party at Sydney’s Opera House. Before his role at Seven, Leckie held the same job at Channel Nine.

When Leckie attempted to greet Packer at the party, the media mogul’s “face went red and hands started to shake”, he then told Leckie to “f *** off”, according to The Daily Telegraph.

He is said to have told his former mentor: “You want to go outside now? Let’s do it.”

The tirade was said to be over Seven’s poor media coverage of Packer’s casino business dealings.