This summer, undefeated and undisputed world heavyweight Bare Knuckle Boxing champion Bobby Gunn will be putting his unblemished record on the line as he goes to battle in what will be only the second legally sanctioned bare knuckle boxing event since 1889.
On August 5, 2011, Gunn made history when he knocked out Richard Stewart in the 3rd round of their Bare Knuckle bout—the first sanctioned BKB bout since John L. Sullivan last waged war in 1889—and re-introduced the pugilistic sport the over 800,000 sports via internet PPV (ustream.com).
Through his career as a fighter Gunn has established himself as a world champion gloved boxer but has also carried a separate mystique throughout the bare knuckle boxing circuit as he has maintained an undefeated record, having fought all over the world and being known for never shying away from any challenge.
This summer Bobby Gunn—who has earned the linear title last held legitimately by John L. Sullivan—will again compete in another sanctioned bare knuckle boxing event in which he will put his title on the line against an opponent to be named.
“We took the world by storm in 2011 when we made history with the first sanctioned bare knuckle fight,” said Gunn. “We are taking our time in putting together this follow-up show to ensure everything is done properly and every guideline is followed. This is the sport of the future in that it is safer than gloved boxing and much more technical than people realize. We have big expectations that lie ahead for BKB in the near future.”
Gunn and his team shook the world with BKB in 2011 and the 2012, which led to more than a few smaller outlets and organization trying to imitate bare knuckle boxing, including hosting shows featuring fighters wearing gloves comparable to MMA gloves. Other organizations have fighters wear hand wraps around their knuckles. It all goes back to the old adage, “often imitated, never duplicated.”
“Real bare knuckle boxing is just what it sounds like,” says Gunn. “There are no MMA gloves, no hand wraps. The true warriors of the sport, going back to the old days of John L. Sullivan, they used to fight wars, and nowadays these wannabe fighters make a mockery of what the real fighters stood for and fought for. It’s a joke. What we plan to show with our sanctioned shows is what REAL bare knuckle boxing is.”
To help jumpstart the campaign to spread the buzz about bare knuckle boxing and help make it a mainstream sport like gloved boxing and MMA, Gunn has been working adamantly with various TV networks in sharing his story about growing up and living life on the BKB circuit and inviting them into the underground world of bare knuckle boxing that has only been seen by the public in movies like Snatch and Fight Club.
Gunn and his team plan to announce more information about the next sanctioned show as it becomes readily available.