Ian Spiegelman, shortly after sparring with Douglas Dechert last night at the Soho House.

It wasn't with exactly Zidane-Materazzi, Axl-Hilfiger or even Denton-Roshan, but we'll take it.

About midway through last night's book party at New York's Soho House — hosted by Nick Denton and Jared Paul Stern — in honor of Toby Young's Sound of No Hands Clapping, Young's wife, Caroline, broke up a near-brawl involving former New York Post gossip columnist Ian Spiegelman and New York Press writer and freelance gossipist Douglas Dechert. Spiegelman, the author of Welcome To Yesterday, approached Dechert before shoving him, sending part of Dechert's drink onto onlookers. Young and his wife intervened shortly thereafter. Later, Spiegelman told us — and just about anyone who would listen — that a piece Dechert wrote got him fired from the Post, and that Dechert recently made scathing, "borderline anti-Semitic" comments about him. [The two have what some would call a history.]

An inebriated, rambling but surprisingly thorough Spiegelman said he shoved Dechert's forehead multiple times after the two exchanged various pleasantries. [Check out Gawker photographer Nikola Tamindzik's rather excellent photos of the blessed exchange.]

[EDITOR'S NOTE: We recorded a video interview with Spiegelman immediately after the altercation, which we will post shortly.]

Dechert explains his version of the incident to Young shortly after his scuffle with Spiegelman.

The incident occurred during an otherwise uneventful evening, one with plenty of boldfaced names — and plenty more of those who would boldface them — in attendance: Gawker co-editor Jessica Coen, amNY's Julia Allison, Daily News gossip columnist Lloyd Grove, Gatecrasher Ben Widdicome, Out editor Aaron Hicklin, author/comedian Andy Borowitz, Dealbreaker's Elizabeth Spiers, Greg Lindsay, Eat The Press' Rachel Sklar, Chris Tennant, Remy Stern and Radar's Jeff Bercovici, among others.

SEE ALSO: Toby Young's Book Party: Best Fight Ever. [Gawker]

RELATED: Payback [New York]

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