Bare-Knuckle Boxing Coming to Arizona's Fort McDowell Casino
by Scott Christ on Jul 17, 2011 10:15 PM EDT
in Boxing News Analysis
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Hey, combat sports fans! Are you ready for the return of bare-knuckle boxing?
No?
Oh.
Well, it's going to happen anyway, according to Lorne Scoggins of the Examiner. Cruiserweight journeyman Bobby Gunn is spearheading the effort. Gunn, who is 21-4-1 (18 KO) as a pro boxer, will be bringing back bare-knuckle boxing under London Prize Ring rules on August 5 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Gunn's opponent will be "MMA fighter" Chris "The Butcher" Thompson, whose Sherdog record reads 0-1, and in his lone fight, he was disqualified for an illegal knee. That fight took place in January in Fargo, N.D., so we're not exactly talking about a seasoned veteran here. Gunn says Thompson is 6'4", 255, and Sherdog lists him at 6'2", 250. Gunn is currently about 210 pounds, he says.
The fight will be held at Fort McDowell Casino, which is on Native American land and thus not under the jurisdiction of the Arizona commission. Gunn and promoter Dave Feldman are trying to make sure everyone knows this is legit:
"If you’re a striking fan, if you’re a boxing fan, if you’re someone who just likes to see two men fighting fist to fist, this is a wonderful sport," Gunn said. "This is not a barroom brawl. It ain’t no back alley, unorganized event. This is a properly organized event with ringside physicians, referees, judges and timekeepers."
... "I think the way that we’re doing this, making sure everybody’s medically cleared and having everybody train the right way, I just think that we have something that’s going to eventually take off a little bit. I think it’s going to be a nice sport. People are always looking for the most extreme thing and how do you get more raw and more pure than bare knuckle boxing? I think it’s something that people will want to see," Feldman said.
Feldman also says that names like Ken Shamrock from MMA are interested. Shamrock is currently supposedly going to fight James Toney in some sort of hybrid kinda-MMA fight that I still assume won't actually happen, but I guess might actually happen, why not? Shamrock has trouble taking punches with gloves anymore, so I don't see bare knuckle as something that would be good for him, but, well, he needs the money.
Is this something you have any interest in seeing? Is this something you dismiss as a barbaric relic that went away for a good reason?
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Feldman also says that names like Ken Shamrock from MMA are interested.
…I’m sure he is. Because he desperately needs money.
Managing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Jul 17, 2011 10:19 PM EDT reply actions
Is this truly bare knuckle or 4 oz gloves?
We’ve always said that we’d like to see how boxers would do with 4 oz gloves. If that’s the case, then I could give it a glance.
But is its truly bare knuckle, I see it as just plain sad.
Bare knuckle.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Jul 17, 2011 10:55 PM EDT up reply actions
They're really doing the old London Prize Ring Rules?
I don’t buy it.
In contrast with modern boxing rules based upon the Marquess of Queensberry rules, a round ended with a man downed by punch or throw, whereupon he was given 30 seconds to rest and eight additional seconds to “come to scratch” or return to the centre of the ring where a “scratch line” was drawn and square off with his opponent once more. Consequently, there were no round limits to fights. When a man could not come to scratch, he would be declared loser and the fight would be brought to a halt…While fights could have enormous numbers of rounds, the rounds in practice could be quite short with fighters pretending to go down from minor blows to take advantage of the 30-second rest period.
I’d wager that if they go through with it at all it’s just going to be a boxing match held under Queensbury rules sans the gloves, and someone will break their hand early in a fight and the whole thing will be a train wreck.
What everyone needs to do is calm down, take a deep breath, and prepare their bodies for the Thunderdome.
by lowellthehammer on Jul 17, 2011 11:06 PM EDT reply actions
Never mind, I'm an idiot.
It addresses the round issue in the article. 10×1.5 minute rounds. I’ll stand by the broken hand thing though.
What everyone needs to do is calm down, take a deep breath, and prepare their bodies for the Thunderdome.
by lowellthehammer on Jul 17, 2011 11:07 PM EDT up reply actions
I’ll stand by the broken hand thing though.
+1
If boxers break their hands when they have 10oz gloves on…… PAIN
by Sweet science on Jul 19, 2011 7:21 AM EDT up reply actions
I, JT of the Fighting O'Sullivans demand inclusion, rapscallions!
Follow me on Twitter or Jon Jones won't sign your replica belt! @BVandDietPepsi
by BVandDietPepsi on Jul 17, 2011 11:47 PM EDT reply actions
playing all of this bare knuckle mode on fight night is raising my brow to this fight.
paquiao vs marquez should be bare knuckle……….jk but imagine the BLOOD
R.I.P victor ortiz
actually evrey klitsko fight shold be bare knuckle
R.I.P victor ortiz
by BO_knows_MMA on Jul 18, 2011 12:12 AM EDT up reply actions
There’s an point of view that suggests bare-knuckle would over all hurt boxers less, because the gloves kind of backfire, permitting worse blows to the head than the bare hand can tolerate. This attitude is based on the idea that even if a hand breaks, less damage is done than if, so to speak, their heads break. It’s an interesting concept, but something tells me this circus won’t really give any clues on the subject. Just a publicity stunt.
There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else--James Thurber, 1939
Sounds like total shit
They’ll both fook their hands up.
Disarm you with a smile ....
by Sir Jack Daniels on Jul 18, 2011 8:25 AM EDT reply actions
I’d be genuinely curious to know – hypothetically – what difference the absence of gloves would make to a good boxer’s style. However this is going to have terrible fighters and probably won’t go beyond one event so it’s more likely to be a freakshow.
"With gold thou boughtest Gýmir's daughter,
and so gavest away thy sword:
but when Muspell's sons through the dark forest ride,
thou, unhappy, wilt not have wherewith to fight."
~ Lokasenna
My understanding is that it profoundly, for one thing, changes their stance, because they have to protect their hands. That’s where the straight-up, almost backward leaning John L. Sullivan stance comes from. Their forearms, outer forearms are their defense, they have to be most prominent. So it changes everything else from there.
There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else--James Thurber, 1939
The protection of the gloves works to the advantage of protecting hands more than heads, although that was not the original expectation. Once their hands have that protection, they can use them more effectively, and lean in for the consequent advantages that gives them.
There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else--James Thurber, 1939
That's what I figured
I’ve heard the suggestion as well that the jab was largely unknown (because the ratio of risk to one’s hand compared to damage inflicted was unfavourable) and that there was a general tendency to avoid staying in the pocket. Which when you consider the long bouts and the risk of being cut by a bare fist, makes sense.
What really would interest me would be to see how an elite boxer (of today) would fare under those rules – how quickly they’d adapt and exactly what they’d change in their style – or at the very least what strategies would emerge among fighters fighting consistently under the bare knuckle ruleset. However I have no illusions about any halfway decent boxer actually getting involved in this, it’s too freakish and the rewards are unlikely to match the risk to both one’s body and image. That’s assuming it ever happens at all.
"With gold thou boughtest Gýmir's daughter,
and so gavest away thy sword:
but when Muspell's sons through the dark forest ride,
thou, unhappy, wilt not have wherewith to fight."
~ Lokasenna
Kimbo should join this. It’s where he belongs: a circus.
by erasedcitizen on Jul 18, 2011 11:52 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Kimbo should join this. It’s where he belongs: a circus.
by erasedcitizen on Jul 18, 2011 11:53 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Only interesting if they lay odds on who breaks their hand first.
Bad Left Hook
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
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