Kimbo Slice vs. Bobby Gunn in PPV bare-knuckle boxing event?

Bobby “The Celtic Warrior” Gunn is an old-school kind of guy. He is in negotiations with Kimbo Slice to compete in an event that would surely be a Pay-Per-View hit. I spoke with Gunn and promoter, Dave Philman, on Wednesday. This isn't just another Kimbo Slice, backyard throw-down for YouTube. This would be an actual sporting event that would take place in a ring with a referee, under the London Prize Ring Rules of 1853.

“You know, I'm offering him something that he claims to be the best in, and that he feels more comfortable in. This is old, London Prize Fight Rules, like John L. Sullivan did. The old, bare-knuckle boxing. You can release this. I have challenged Kimbo Slice. One hundred percent,” Gunn said. “Kimbo Slice really...he's got a great name. I'm not going to dog him or nothing. I think this is a fight for the public. I think this is a fight that boxing and the MMA world needs right now. You don't see too many fights anymore, where you're sitting on the edge of your seat and any second it could end. That's the fight I want to give the country and I want to give the world.”

Impossible, you say? Not according to Dave Philman. He said although there are currently no states that are willing to sanction the event, the kinks have all been ironed out.

“I found a couple ways that we can get it done and there are a couple states where it is actually a legal thing to do. I mean, it's not going to be a problem,” Philman said. “We already have the venue. Everything is set. We're probably looking at the last week in October or the first week in November.”

Philman also noted that a substantial amount of money has been offered to Kimbo Slice. He said, “It's probably the most money that both of these fighters will have ever made.”

Gunn is a former IBA, WBC-USNBC, WBA-NABA, IBC and NABC cruiserweight champion with a record of 21-4-1, with 18 knockouts. The 36 year old started boxing professionally in 1989. A glance at his record shows that he had no professional boxing matches from March of 1993 to April of 2004. Gunn explained the reason for the long leave.

“When I was young I fought many, many fights. The real bare-knuckle fights. Stand-up, a referee, the whole deal,” Gunn said, “You know when you see the gap in my career, that's when I was doing the unsanctioned fights. We fought all over the country.”

The London Prize Ring rules were replaced by the Queensberry rules of 1867. The Queensberry rules basically changed boxing into the sport that we're familiar with today by adding padded gloves, three-minute rounds, and the ten-count.

The reason for the new rules was largely due to the fact that the old-time, bare-knuckle fighting wasn't appealing to England's upper class. The addition of padded gloves was actually more of an attempt to attract patronage from the Brits with the bread, than to ensure the safety of the boxers.

Some feel that bare-knuckle boxing is barbarically primitive. Others say that it's actually safer than gloved boxing because, although the boxers do get cut worse, they don't take prolonged punishment that is made possible by padded gloves.

Bobby Gunn is a guy that likes the old, bare-knuckle boxing, and that's really how Kimbo Slice made a name for himself in the first place. After all, is it really any more brutal than MMA?

Gunn and Philman are waiting to hear the final word from Kimbo's camp as to whether or not they'll accept the offer.

“He [Kimbo] claims to be the best striker in the world, you know, I mean bare-knuckle fighter. When I was younger I had more than my share of those. It would be a good fight,” Gunn said, “As of right now, the offer has been made to them, and Lorne, I don't mean a small offer. I mean a very big offer. It's on his plate. So it's all up to him right now to make the move.”

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