Misfits Boxing could hardly have imagined an alleged airline lapse would throw its highly touted headliner into uncertainty. Yet as the promotion heads into this weekend’s exhibition boxing event in Germany, that does appear to be the situation.

“Flew over for the fight; Swiss Airlines lost my bag with all my boxing gear. As of right now, I’m jet-lagged, I missed my connecting flight, and I have no gear to fight. I wear a size 15 shoe; I can’t just go to the shop and get new ones. One thing after another,” Misfits heavyweight champion Chase DeMoor wrote while criticizing Swiss International Air Lines AG, a Lufthansa subsidiary.

“Understand it’s not the stuff in the bag, even though it contained thousands of dollars worth of gear, mouth guards, etc.; it’s the fact I can’t step into a boxing ring barefoot,” he later added. “You can’t walk into a store and buy a size 15 boxing shoe…the fight as of right now isn’t happening; I’ve always been honest with you guys. As of right now, I’m sitting. In Germany with nothing more than a backpack with some clothes. It’s really sad, @FlySWISS. This doesn’t only affect me; it’s all those involved. Huge L.”

DeMoor, a former footballer-turned-fighter, voiced his frustration after discovering his fight gear, particularly the ultra-rare size 15 shoe, was missing, disrupting his preparations for the main event at Ostermann-Arena in Leverkusen, Germany, where the Fame Fighting vs. Misfits Boxing event is scheduled to take place.

Heading into the fight week, the Misfits heavyweight champion’s situation draws comparisons to Terence Crawford’s issues with British Airways two years ago, when the 3-division undisputed blasted the airline for making him miss his flight while also alleging that the staff stole his baggage. Thankfully for Crawford, the incident occurred more than a month after he made his light middleweight debut against Israil Madrimov.

For DeMoor, however, the issue surfaced just as he prepared for a major promotional event where he was slated for a 6-round fight against Aleks Petrovic, who holds the rival German promotion, Fame Fighting’s belt in a similar weight class.

Because of DeMoor’s gear loss, the card, which currently features 8 bouts, may now open with a different headliner, with the fight between Can Kaplan (FF) and Slim Albaher (MF), currently the co-main event, possibly moving into the top slot.

Chase DeMoor finds solution after airline setback before Misfits event

Still, considering how he has already intensified tensions with the German fighter, when, after missing their planned face-to-face interview, DeMoor later launched a personal online attack, claiming he had even messaged Petrovic’s ex-girlfriend, the chances of the planned headliner falling through appear slim.

Following the airline issue, DeMoor later shared another update through his Instagram story. Speaking about a backup pair of shoes his team located so he could continue training, the crossover fighter wrote, “My house organizer is a W. She found my backup pair in the move; we might be on to something… Petrofisch isn’t out of the water yet.”

The fight against Petrovic marks his third exhibition appearance and his first return to that format in three years.

Active since 2022, the Eatonville, Washington, native has built a competitive resume featuring fights across all formats, including professional bouts, the results were initially ixed. After a difficult start that saw him suffer two straight losses, DeMoor is now riding an 8-win streak with three victories coming this year alone.

Meanwhile, he became Misfits heavyweight champion after winning the vacant title two years ago.

His biggest win at the crossover promotion came last December when he earned a closely contested victory over Misfits CEO and co-owner Andrew Tate during his third defense.