The Reemergence of Bare Knuckle Boxing

Posted on | December 10, 2011 | No Comments

Bareknuckle fighting has been going over for hundreds of years as a means of settling disputes between families as well as a sport. The first registered bareknuckle boxing champion of England was crowned in 1719 when James Figg claimed the title.

Over the years the sport expanded and a handful of assorted champions passed the title around, with the last sanctioned bout taking place in 1889 as John L. Sullivan defeated Jake Kilrain in an epic 75 round battle. Though the sport had evolved into a form of competition, travelling families have continued the tradition of settling family disputes purely through bareknuckle fighting.

Recently Ian Palmer released the film Knuckle which followed the lives of an Irish Traveler community over 12 years. Starring renowned Irish Traveler and undefeated bareknuckle fighter James Quinn, Knuckle is an in-depth look at the lives these families lived and the epic ongoing bareknuckle wars that were fought throughout the years.

As Knuckle created a lot of buzz in the UK with its release this past summer, Americans got introduced to the world of bareknuckle boxing as former 7 time cruiserweight champion Bobby Gunn and Richard Stewart fought for the vacant world heavyweight bareknuckle boxing championship, last held by John L. Sullivan.

In this first sanctioned bareknuckle boxing bout since in nearly 123 years, Gunn once again displayed his winning ways and knockout power, ending the fight in round 3 via knockout.

Within recent months of the movie release and championship fight, the buzz and popularity for bareknuckle boxing has taken off exponentially. Websites, blogs and pages have been created throughout the online world in support of seeing bareknuckle boxing become as big as traditional boxing and MMA. One of the top bareknuckle groups can be found on Facebook. Rage!! Bareknuckle Boxing Group is comprised of bareknuckle fighters and enthusiasts who share the same passion and support for this growing sport. It is a common place for fight fans to talk about all the latest news in the bareknuckle boxing world.

The reason for the recent taking off of bareknuckle boxing is that it offers the science of boxing coupled with the excitement of a MMA fight. A common misconception is that bareknuckle boxing is simply a street fight or a back alley brawl. But anyone who has ever witnessed a bout has seen that it is a smart fight fought between two professionals; not two inebriated fellas outside of a pub.

It is more than simply a tough man competition where you swing wild in hopes of landing a knockout blow. Bareknuckle boxing requires patience and thought process; careless and wild punching will likely result in damaging of your hands.

And because so much care is put into picking your punches and waiting for your openings, fighters are rarely injured in this sport. If the growing trend continues, it can be expected that within a year we will see the emergence of different weight classes and a plethora of fighters from around the world stepping forward and taking their shot at the title.

Currently Bobby Gunn and James Quinn are scheduled to fight for the world heavyweight bareknuckle boxing championship in February of 2012. This bout will feature two of the most revered bareknuckle fighters of our time, and will surely pave the road to a long and exciting future for bareknuckle boxing.

Click here to check out Rage!! Bareknuckle Boxing Group on Facebook.