Stabbing in fight near club

A man (on the far left) is holding what appears to be a knife outside a nightclub in central Auckland. Photo / Supplied

An inner city resident who watched a street fight unfold and a man suffer serious stab wounds says the area is notorious for brawls.

A man will have surgery today for stab wounds he received in the Auckland street fight in broad daylight yesterday morning.

Police and ambulance staff were called to the intersection of Pitt and Hopetoun Sts at 7.15am after the fight erupted between two groups of males.

During the altercation, a firearm was presented but not fired, said police, and a man suffered several serious wounds when he was stabbed with a knife.

A resident - who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals - was woken by the fight and watched the flashes of violence erupt from his apartment overlooking the street.

"I heard heaps of yelling. I walked on to the balcony and there was a massive fight going on.

"The guy holding the knife was walking towards the cops - that really freaked me out and I called 111," he said.

He said it was the fifth serious assault he had seen outside the Beijing club on Pitt St since he moved into the area five months ago.

"These are not just run-of-the-mill-punch-each-other-in-the-head [fights], they're really bad fights," he said.

The 23-year-old stab victim was last night in stable condition.

Two males, aged 18 and 22, were assisting police with inquiries.

Both weapons used in the fight have been recovered.