A Kuwaiti-Irish national whose brawl with Turkish shopkeepers inspired a "beat'em up game" attended the first hearing of a trial in which both he and the shopkeepers stand accused. Mohammed Fadel Dobbous was captured on security camera footage in August 2015 when he was seen knocking out a horde of locals singlehandedly. His action has earned him the nickname the "Irish boxer" in Turkish media.

Dobbous, who left the brawl with a broken arm, told a court in Istanbul yesterday that he was not "a boxer," but simply "a Mike Tyson fan."

The Irish national faces up to nine months in prison for deliberate injury and prosecutors are asking for prison terms of up to seven years for three shopkeepers on charges of aggravated assault.

Dobbous was trying to open a refrigerator full of water bottles when he inadvertently yanked it open, causing the bottles to fall out, as the security camera footage of the incident testifies. This was when a shopkeeper swinging a stick jumped on him, only to see Dobbous evade the hit and go on taking out other shopkeepers coming at him. The shopkeepers have claimed that Dobbous attacked them first and had visited the shop with his friends in an attempt to beat the shopkeepers who refused to sell him alcohol.

The tourist told the court the brawl happened "because of a water bottle," referring to the first incident. "I don't remember what happened next. I was trying to save my life," he said. "When the bottles fell, the man in the shop tried to hit me with a stick. I grabbed it and threw it away. I was confused. Then, others came at me. I don't remember their faces. One man tried to stab me in the back," he claimed. Dobbous also said he "would be done" if he fell when the assailants hit him repeatedly.

Şenol Palan, one of the shopkeepers, said Dobbous should be blamed for the incident. "I had several tourists in the shop. One of them wanted to buy alcoholic drinks. I told them we don't sell alcohol. Then they came back with [Dobbous]. He angrily told me: "Would you not sell it to me too?" and pulled the door of the refrigerator. They were in my shop to damage it. I defended my shop," he claimed. Palan said he could not even hit him and he retreated to his shop. "I am not xenophobic. I just defended myself," he said. Şerafettin Özbey, another shopkeeper, said theft from shops is common in Aksaray, where the incident happened. "I thought it was another theft and intervened," Özbey, who was seen in the security camera footage in a futile attempt to knock down Dobbous, told the court. "I tried to punch him but I ran away after the beating I got," he told the judge.

Judges adjourned the trial for an evaluation of the camera footage of the incident by experts.

Dobbous became an overnight sensation after the video of the almost comical beating emerged. He even received free holiday offers from Turkish tourism companies while several shops started offering "free water for Irish tourists" following the incident. A trade association whose members include shopkeepers in Aksaray has called its members to be more tolerant and resort to legal means if they have a problem with tourists. The association then handed out leaflets to shops in Aksaray, urging them to improve their manners with tourists.

Turkish game developers even created a game called "Irish Boxer" following the incident. In the game a character in the likeness of Dobbous starts with the "boxer" standing next to a refrigerator full of water bottles and proceeds with the character beating up angry shopkeepers wielding clubs, chairs and several other objects.