Archive December 12, 2025

Bare-knuckle boxing is a raw, bloody relic of a sport known as ‘the noble art’.

The controversial relative of boxing in its traditional gloved guise is both the oldest form of the fight game, but also a newly recognised sanctioned sport in the United Kingdom.

On Saturday, Derby’s Vaillant Live arena will host a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) event – the first of its type to be held in the region.

Headway, a charity that supports people with brain injuries, has renewed its calls for the sport to be banned and condemned the show as “irresponsible”.

Promoters, fighters, and some medical professionals, however, say dangers faced in the ring need to be put into context.

Bare-knuckle bouts have provided gritty movie moments – be it Brad Pitt in ‘Snatch’ and ‘Fight Club’, or Disney+ series ‘A Thousand Blows’ starring Stephen Graham.

But BKFC UK president Andrew Bakewell says the sport is much more than the unregulated fights that have been brutally portrayed or the underground scraps which have spawned such stories.

“I think it’s lack of knowledge,” Bakewell told BBC Radio Derby, when asked about the safety concerns around bare-knuckle boxing.

“People hear about it and the stigma it’s got.”

The safety and dangers of bare-knuckle boxing – a sport where gory, claret stained injuries are not only accepted but treasured for its primal appeal – is something that is debated fiercely by its detractors and supporters.

A 2021 study published in ‘The Physician and Sportsmedicine’ journal, whose lead author was BKFC’s chief medical officer Dr Don Muzzi, stated that 2.8% of the 282 bare-knuckle fighters studied experienced concussions with symptoms after a bout.

That number is up to 12.3% for gloved boxers, according to an investigation into “21st-century boxing specific injury rates” published in 2023 and covered in the Guardian last year.

The study headed by Dr Muzzi did find that cuts, be it facial lacerations and ‘superficial hand’ injuries, were significantly more frequent in bare-knuckle boxing.

Dr Louis Durkin, an emergency medical expert who is president of the association of ringside physicians, says “as far as safety goes it’s significantly different” when bare-knuckle boxing is compared to its gloved relative.

The impacts of being hit with a bare fist are more forceful and painful to take, but the time fighters are exposed to those blows in the ring is significantly less, with bouts typically made-up of five two-minute rounds.

By comparison, when Jeamie ‘TKV’ Tshikeva beat Frazer Clarke in Derby two weeks ago to win the British heavyweight title, it was a 12-round fight that lasted 36 minutes.

“The other part of bare-knuckle boxing is that only a minority of fights actually go the distance, so not only is the whole thing timed for a shorter amount, the average bout only lasts 2.7 rounds of those five rounds,” said Dr Durkin, who has worked in ringside medicine for more than two decades and been involved in around 30 bare-knuckle events in recent years.

“Mostly that is because there is only so much the fighter can take.

Bare-knuckle boxing bills itself as the “fastest-growing combat sport” having emerged from the shadows to host regulated and legal events in parts of the United States and many places across the world, with the first BKFC event in Britain at London’s Wembley Arena in 2022.

It was only in 2018 that the first sanctioned fight for 130 years took place in the US state of Wyoming.

BKFC events in Britain, such as the one in Derby on Saturday, come under the remit of International Sport Karate and Kickboxing Association (ISKA) – a global body that regulates much of the mixed martial arts (MMA) events in Europe.

The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC), which oversees the gloved form of the sport, is not involved.

Luke Griggs, chief executive of Headway, says the brain injury association he represents calls for all forms of boxing to be outlawed, but added that legitimising and promoting bare-knuckle fights is “irresponsible” and of “particular concern”.

“Headway has always been clear on its position on all forms of boxing – we think the risks are too great. It’s too obvious and all forms of boxing should be banned,” Griggs told BBC East Midlands Today.

“And it’s particularly concerning that bare-knuckle boxing is coming to the fore and increasing in popularity. It’s hugely dangerous and we do not believe this sort of event should be sanctioned.

“Irresponsible is a very good word. There are lots of questions that need to be asked about these fights being sanctioned, these fights being allowed to go on, to be promoted.”

Bakewell is BKFC’s figurehead in Britain and says his aim as a promoter – and the desire of those involved in the sanctioned strand of bare-knuckle fighting – want the sport to be seen at the “top end of pro combat sports”.

And he adds that events are “run accordingly” with the safety of its athletes paramount – with each fighter undergoing pre and post-fight health checks, while three doctors, two paramedics, two crewed ambulances are on-site for fight nights.

“We don’t cut any corners in terms of production or the medical care,” Bakewell said.

Luke Brassfield, a 38-year-old middleweight fighter from Long Eaton in Derbyshire, will be making his BKFC debut on Saturday but already has previous experience as a bare-knuckle fighter.

He took up boxing 18 years ago when in the British Army, establishing himself as an amateur before going professional.

It was his struggles with mental health that prompted him to take his first bare-knuckle bout as he sought a quick way to get back into the ring.

That fight was over in one punch.

Brassfield says he does not see himself as “a violent person”, insisting bare-knuckle fights – as well as the professional gloved boxing bouts he had juggled along the way – have been a physical release that have helped through hard times.

“I want to get onto a big platform to spread the word about mental health and positivity, to let people know that they could be at rock bottom, but there is a way out and the rise is beautiful,” he said.

“I never really got going in boxing, but now in bare-knuckle I’m at the right age where I have the strength, maturity and boxing IQ and skills where I believe I can go far.

“I’ve boxed with gloves on for all these years and now they’ve taken them off. It’s opened up a new market for me now.

“I’ve not taken a punch yet in bare-knuckle, but I have taken a lot of punches in boxing and you can feel the knuckles through the gloves.

Scottish Championship: Ayr United v St Johnstone

Venue: Somerset Park, Ayr Date: Friday, 12 December Kick-off: 19:45 GMT

This weekend marks the halfway point of the Scottish Championship season, with the top four sides all going head-to-head, but the big question is – will St Johnstone retain their place at the top of the pile?

The Perth side, relegated from the Premiership last season, have been the big hitters at the top since the starting gun sounded, but what once looked like being a procession is now anything but.

St Johnstone currently sit level on points with Partick Thistle – albeit with a superior goal difference.

But they lost to the Glasgow side three weeks ago and have failed to win any of their last three games.

“We had our way of playing when we started the season and maybe our opponents were not that familiar [with it],” he said.

“Now they start to see how we want to play, how they stop that. Again, we need to evolve our things that can counter what the opponent is doing.

“The basics and the foundations of how we do things are at a good level. Now, we need little tweaks – when we attack, how we can be more balanced in defence, attacking the box, how we can find this final pass.

“The basics are there, the foundations are there, the principles are there.”

Tonight, St Johnstone take on fourth-placed Ayr United at Somerset Park. Currently 11 points behind the leaders, Scott Brown’s side surely need a victory if they are to keep any title ambitions alive.

While St Johnstone’s midweek KDM Evolution match with Hearts B was postponed due to high winds in Edinburgh, Ayr’s match with Peterhead went ahead, with the Honest Men winning 2-1.

The good news for Ayr was a first goal of the season for striker Anton Dowds, who missed a year of football after suffering an ACL injury. The 29-year-old only returned to match action in September.

Before his injury last season, Dowds was one of the hottest strikers in the Championship and Brown will clearly be hoping he can return to that kind of form from now until the end of the season.

Thistle will be watching proceedings this evening with interest. Any slip up from Saints gives them the chance to grab top spot on Saturday.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has gone from a peripheral figure at Chelsea to playing a key role in Everton‘s rebuild.

The 27-year-old returns to Stamford Bridge with Everton on Saturday, with his side on a run of four victories from five Premier League matches, while his former club are under pressure and winless in four games in all competitions.

Since David Moyes took charge on Merseyside in January, no Premier League team has won more away games, fuelling belief that Everton can leapfrog fifth-placed Chelsea as they chase a first European qualification since 2018.

Could Dewsbury-Hall even break into England’s World Cup squad?

At this point last season, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca admitted Dewsbury-Hall was struggling in a bit-part role in west London, despite winning player of the season under his leadership during Leicester City’s promotion-winning campaign in the Championship a year earlier.

It came at a time when Dewsbury-Hall was an unused substitute against Tottenham and Brentford – and not even in the squad for a trip to Everton.

He was instead saved for a 7,000-mile round trip to Astana in Kazakhstan for a meaningless Conference League group stage match in temperatures of -10C.

Impressively, Dewsbury-Hall shook off any disappointment to play in Chelsea’s Conference League and Club World Cup final wins, a reward for his professionalism despite his knowing he was likely to leave soon after.

That character was part of the positive feedback Everton and Moyes – who tried to sign him for West Ham months earlier – received from their scouting operation, making Dewsbury-Hall their primary summer target.

“For me to leave my old club, Chelsea, it had to be for something special – a project I really believed in,” Dewsbury-Hall said after joining Everton.

The midfielder had other suitors and was open to staying at Chelsea, but felt the chance to play for Everton under their new American ownership at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium was too good to turn down.

The Toffees secured their target for an initial £24m, plus £3m in add-ons, on a five-year contract agreed in the summer.

After his first pre-season match against Roma, Dewsbury-Hall told BBC Radio Merseyside that he had “scratches” and wanted to show his new fans his willingness to “fight”.

It helps that Dewsbury-Hall is approachable and is often seen out in Liverpool playing his second favourite sport, snooker, to relax.

He is also into golf and musical theatre through his partner, is doing a sporting directorship course through the Professional Footballers’ Association and is among those willing to volunteer for charity projects in the community at Everton.

As at Chelsea and Leicester, Dewsbury-Hall is said to get on with everyone in the dressing room, and some are already tipping him as a future captain.

He has built a particular bond with Manchester City loanee Jack Grealish, whom he knew through mutual friends in football.

Former Everton captain Leon Osman told BBC Sport: “The form he is in is fantastic. He’s been moved around that midfield and, no matter where he plays, his output is the same.

“He’s got a left foot in the middle of the pitch, which gives huge balance, his passing range is very good and his vision is exceptional. But I think what sets him apart is his energy and the distance he covers.”

Dewsbury-Hall is playing primarily in his favoured number 10 role at Everton but has willingly filled deeper positions when injuries or suspensions have required it.

At Chelsea, however, he had little chance of displacing star attacker Cole Palmer in that role, while British transfer-record signing Enzo Fernandez – bought for £107m – also prefers to operate in attacking midfield.

Since then, Brazilians Joao Pedro and Estevao Willian have arrived, both capable of playing in the same position.

In lieu of an England debut, the Republic of Ireland have been in touch with Dewsbury-Hall because of his family heritage, and Everton captain Seamus Coleman has also asked him about making the switch.

“I see myself as English and have it in my head that I can play for England,” Dewsbury-Hall told Everton’s club channels. “I don’t want to lead people on about what I want to do because I respect the Irish people and fans.

“I just want to give myself a chance to play for England, which is a lifelong dream. I’m playing for a massive club that’s on the up, and I still believe I can do it.”

That belief is backed by evidence. Dewsbury-Hall is Everton’s joint-leading Premier League scorer this season, alongside Ndiaye, with four goals – as many as he managed in his previous 62 appearances combined for Leicester, Chelsea and the Toffees.

His two assists put him joint top for goal involvements with Ndiaye and Grealish, while only Grealish has created more chances and won possession more often in the final third for Everton in the league this season.

Dewsbury-Hall has created more chances, won possession more and made more tackles in the league this season than England’s recently used number 10s, including Morgan Rogers, Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, Morgan Gibbs-White and Palmer.

Palmer and Bellingham have both had injuries, but only Foden has scored more goals (six) and only Rogers has more assists (three) than Dewsbury-Hall.

“His performances will have already alerted Thomas Tuchel,” said Osman, who made 437 appearances in central midfield for Everton.

“James Garner and Grealish are trying to get into the England team as well, but Dewsbury-Hall’s performances in recent weeks have probably made him the outstanding candidate.

“When you’re talking about going into tournament football, you’ve got a player that can cover three or four roles and be outstanding in any of them.”