Bare-knuckle boxing facts for kids

"Fisticuffs" redirects here. For the Irish punk rock band, see The Fisticuffs.

Quick facts for kids Irish-American fighter John L. Sullivan
Also known as	Classical pugilism fisticuffs fist fight illegal boxing prizefighting
Focus	Striking grappling
Country of origin	England
Parenthood	Ancient Greek boxing street fighting

Bare-knuckle boxing is a type of combat sport where people punch each other without any padding or gloves on their hands. It's sometimes called bare-knuckle or bare-knuckle fighting. This sport, as we know it today, started in England in the 1600s. It's different from a regular street fight because it follows a set of rules.

For a long time in the 1700s and 1800s, bare-knuckle boxing used rules called the London Prize Ring Rules. But by the late 1800s, professional boxing started using boxing gloves. The very last big world championship fight with bare knuckles happened in 1889. The winner was John L. Sullivan. A magazine called National Police Gazette was the group that approved these world championship fights back then.

In the 2000s, bare-knuckle boxing has become popular again. Groups like Bare Knuckle Boxing (BKB) in Coventry, England, and Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) in Philadelphia, USA, are now promoting these fights.

History of Bare-Knuckle Boxing
Fighting Techniques
- Irish Stand Down
Modern Bare-Knuckle Boxing
- Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship Rules
See also

History of Bare-Knuckle Boxing

How Bare-Knuckle Boxing Started

The sport we know today began in England. The first newspaper story about a boxing match in England was in 1681. It said that a fight happened between a duke's servant and a butcher. The butcher won, and he was known as the best fighter in England, even though he was small.

The first bare-knuckle champion of England was James Figg. He became champion in 1719 and kept the title until he retired in 1730. James Figg is seen as the person who helped create modern boxing. In 1719, he opened a "pugilistic foundation" to teach people how to use their fists, swords, and staffs for defense. Some other famous early champions were Jack Broughton, Elizabeth Wilkinson, and Daniel Mendoza.

Longest Fights and Careers

The longest bare-knuckle fight ever recorded lasted for 6 hours and 15 minutes! This amazing match happened in Australia on December 3, 1855, between James Kelly and Jonathan Smith. Smith finally gave up after 17 rounds.

A bare-knuckle fighter named Jem Mace had the longest career in fighting history. He fought for over 35 years, even into his 60s! His last public fight was in 1909 when he was 78 years old.

For a long time, professional bare-knuckle boxing was not legal in the United States. But on March 20, 2018, Wyoming became the first state to make it legal. Before that, the National Police Gazette magazine was the main group that set up fights and gave out championship belts in the 1880s. They approved the last big bare-knuckle heavyweight world championship fight between John L. Sullivan and Jake Kilrain in 1889. Sullivan won that fight.

Boxing Rules Through Time

Bare-knuckle boxing started to get rules in the mid-1700s. This was done to make fights safer and to make the sport seem more respectable. Three main sets of rules were used before modern boxing with gloves became popular:

Broughton Rules: These were the first rules, created by champion Jack Broughton in 1743.
- A round would continue until one fighter fell down.
- After 30 seconds, the fighter had to stand up and face their opponent, or they would lose.
- It was against the rules to hit someone who was already on the ground.

London Prize Ring Rules: These new rules were made in 1838 and updated in 1853.
- The fighting area was a square ring, 24 feet (about 7.3 meters) wide, with two ropes around it.
- When a fighter fell, the round ended, and they were helped back to their corner.
- The next round started 30 seconds later. Fighters had to reach a mark in the middle of the ring on their own. If they couldn't do this within 8 more seconds, they lost.
- Kicking, eye-gouging, head-butting, biting, and hitting below the belt were all against the rules.

Marquess of Queensberry Rules: These rules were written down in 1867 and are very similar to the rules used in boxing today.
- Fighters had to wear padded gloves.
- A round lasted three minutes, followed by a one-minute rest.
- Wrestling was not allowed.
- If a fighter fell, they had to get up on their own within 10 seconds. If they couldn't, they were "knocked out," and the fight was over.
- This was also when different weight classes for fighters were first introduced.

Fighting Techniques

In the very early days, there were no written rules for bare-knuckle fighting. Fights were often very wild, with no weight classes, no limits on rounds, and no referee. An early book from 1713 described techniques like head-butting, punching, eye-gouging, choking, and hard throws. These are not allowed in boxing today. Fights would end when a fighter couldn't continue, or if the crowd caused problems, or if the police stopped it. Sometimes, fighters would pretend to fall from small punches to get a 30-second rest!

Even with Broughton's rules, many moves were allowed that are illegal in today's gloved boxing. However, new and clever techniques were also created.

Grappling was allowed. Fighters often used moves like the "cross-buttocks throw" (a type of hip throw) and suplexes (a move where you lift and throw an opponent). But grabbing below the waist was not allowed.
Clinching, also called "chancery," was legal. This is when fighters hold onto each other closely.
Fibbing was allowed. This meant a boxer could grab an opponent by the neck or hair and punch them many times.
The way bare-knuckle boxers stood was designed to help them fight against grappling and block punches.
Kicking was also allowed! For example, William "Bendigo" Thompson was known for his kicks.

Tom Molineaux (left) fighting Tom Cribb in 1811.

Many famous boxing techniques were invented during this time:

Samuel Elias was the first to create the punch we now call the uppercut.
Tom Spring made the left hook punch popular. He also invented a move called the "Harlequin Step," where he would trick his opponent into punching, then quickly avoid it and punch back. This was basically the start of the boxing feint (a fake move).
Daniel Mendoza invented the "outboxer" style, where a fighter uses footwork and quick punches to avoid getting hit.

Irish Stand Down

The "Irish stand down" is a special type of bare-knuckle fighting. In this style, fighters don't move around much. They just stand close and focus on punching and taking punches. This style was popular in Irish-American neighborhoods in the late 1800s. It's also known as "strap fighting" or "toe to toe."

Modern Bare-Knuckle Boxing

After more than 100 years, bare-knuckle boxing became legal again in the UK in 2015. However, fighters now have to wear hand wraps to protect their wrists and hands, even though they don't wear gloves over their knuckles.

Modern bare-knuckle boxing has some new rules that are different from the old ones, and also different from modern gloved boxing:

In some modern bare-knuckle fights, if a fighter is knocked down, they have 18 seconds to get up, not the usual 10 seconds.
Most modern bare-knuckle fights don't have a "three-knockdown rule" (where a fight ends if a fighter is knocked down three times). Also, fighters cannot be saved by the bell (the round doesn't end just because the bell rings if a fighter is in trouble).
Fights usually have 5 rounds, each lasting 2 minutes. Some fights can be longer, up to 7 rounds of 3 minutes.
A key difference in modern bare-knuckle boxing is that punching while holding an opponent (called "dirty boxing" or "punching in the clinch") is often allowed.

In October 2021, BKFC Thailand (now called BKFC Asia) started in Asia. They held their first event in December 2021. It was the first time bare-knuckle boxing was fully legal and approved in Thailand and Asia.

In February 2022, Mathilda Wilson from Sweden won the UK's first legal female bare-knuckle fight in the modern era. She won by TKO (technical knockout) in the first round.

In September 2022, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) bought a UK organization to create Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship UK (BKFC UK). This means BKFC will now regularly hold events in the United Kingdom.

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship Rules

Here are some of the rules used by the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC):

Fighters can wrap and tape their wrists, thumbs, and the middle of their hands. But no tape or gauze can be within 1 inch (2.5 cm) of their knuckles.
Fighters start each round by standing on two lines, 3 feet (about 1 meter) apart, in the middle of the ring. The referee tells them to "knuckle up" to start the fight.
Only punches are allowed, and they must be with a closed fist. No kicks, elbows, knees, or grappling (wrestling) are allowed.
If fighters are holding onto each other (clinching), they can punch their way out with an open hand. If they stop fighting for three seconds while clinching, the referee will separate them.
If a fighter is knocked down, they have 10 seconds to get back on their feet. If they can't, the referee stops the fight. It's against the rules to hit a fighter who is down. If someone does, they will be disqualified.
If a fighter gets a cut and the blood makes it hard for them to see, the referee can pause the fight for 30 seconds for a "cutman" to try and stop the bleeding. If the bleeding can't be controlled and still affects their vision, the referee will stop the fight, and the other fighter wins.
Fights are two minutes per round and usually last 3 or 5 rounds.
All fighters must wear a groin protector with a cup, a mouthpiece, shorts, and boxing or wrestling shoes.
Fighters are expected to try their best and show good sportsmanship.