I really do believe we will be greeted as liberators. ibid. Cheney
Behind closed doors men from all walks of life are taking part in an underground fight club. Unregulated in the UK this ancient blood sport exists on the edge of the law. Bare Knuckle Fight Club I: Fighting for Family, Channel 4 2017
‘Best feeling ever. Better than sex.’ ibid. Fat Boy
‘Three hundred and fifty are coming. And there’s enough for fifty on the door.’ ibid. wife of organiser
He now wants to take bare knuckle global. ibid.
Four months ago ex-gangster Shaun Smith entered the bare-knuckle world. Today, Shaun is preparing his fighters for a series of up-coming bare-knuckle shows taking place across the country. Fighting at the next fight in Newcastle is heavyweight Nathan Joseph. Nathan has been fighting for ten years. He’s never lost. Bare Knuckle Fight Club II
Bare-knuckle legend James McCrory has been fighting for twenty years. ibid.
My dream is to just give debt up completely and just run bare-knuckle. Bare Knuckle Fight Club III, Shaun
Six months after entering the fight world Shaun and the team are in Coventry planning their biggest bare-knuckle show ever. ibid.
‘A split second changed my whole life.’ One Punch Killer, killer, Channel 4 2017
The House Party: ‘The night was brilliant. Everyone was in high spirits … A few people that weren’t on the guest list turning up; there was a big commotion … George has come between us and he’s started pushing in my chest … I had to defend myself. It wasn’t a hard punch … ibid. Ben
cf.
‘There was some power in that punch. Like that was a strong punch.’ ibid. witness
Ben Haynes was charged with manslaughter … He was sentenced to five years in prison. His sentence was later reduced to 45 months. ibid.
Biggleswade, Bedfordshire: ‘He just got punched straight to the floor … Asda car Park.’ ibid. 999 call
‘The other man had got into a Range Rover vehicle and had driven away.’ ibid.
‘He’s grabbed my arm … He’s come at me again … I thought he was going to hit me … Purely in self-defence I hit him … I only hit him once.’ ibid. Mr Watts
Alan Watts was convicted of manslaughter. He was sentenced to five years in prison. ibid.
The Haircut: ‘It was a normal night. I was out with my friends … A guy that stood out: six foot eight … When I was a kid, he taught me how to box … The punch connected to his jaw.’ ibid. Ben
Self-defence … Charges against him were dropped. ibid.
The second the bell rings you can just look at some people and just tell they’re scared to death. The Smashing Machine: Mark Kerr Story, 2002
I had this animal instinct that just took over. ibid.
The intention of mixed martial arts was to get all the different fighting disciplines facing off against each other and see which one was best. ibid. Eddie Goldman
Kerr is an absolute monster. ibid. first fight commentary
More people were watching UFC in the mid-’90s than were watching boxing. ibid. Eddie Goldman
Pride fighting championship came along in ’97. ibid.
I met some people who would go pharmaceutical shopping in Mexico. ibid. Kerr
I’ve never lost a fight. ibid.
Like having 12,000 people out there cheering for you. That’s orgasmic. ibid.
Everybody else around me can see how fucked up you are but you can’t see yourself. ibid.
Mark had overdosed on painkillers. ibid. colleague
Mark withdraws from the November fight and checks into a twenty-eight day drug rehabilitation program. ibid. caption
So I got my stuff and I left. ibid. Mark’s girlfriend
By the age of 27 Lenny McLean has become a street fighting legend. He is undefeated as a bare knuckle boxer. My Name is Lenny 2017 starring Josh Helman & Chanel Cresswell & Michael Bisping & John Hurt & Nick Moran & Charley Palmer Rothwell & Rita Tushingham & Cathal Pendred et al, director Ron Scalpello, caption
I have three gypsy fights lined up with my cousin Bootnose. ibid. Lenny
Every day is a gift. That’s why they call it the present. ibid. Leslie
He’s insane. And he speaks in tongues. ibid.
Go out there and fucking kill him, all right? ibid. Val
I don’t like violence, John, John. I hate it. In fact I detest it. ibid.
Of course I’m all right. I’m daddy cool. ibid.
Be the best fighter. Be the guv’nor. ibid.
A word of advice, girls. If you’re picking the wrong fight, at least pick the right weapon. Blitz 2011 starring Jason Stathan & Paddy Considine & Aidan Gillen & David Morrisey & Zawe Ashton & Luke Evans & Mark Rylance & Nicky Henson & Ned Dennehy et al, director Eliott Lester
Oh I wish I was 24 again. When I started? 24. That’s when I first started. Now I’m 39. The Cage Fighter, opening scene, 2017
This is what separates us from normal people – normal people are on their couch right now watching South Park. ibid. trainer
It’s show time, bro. Let’s get this done. ibid.
What happened to you promising you wouldn’t do this again? ibid. wife
I don’t think this is ever going to end. ibid. daughter
The people who write that kind of stuff never fight; possibly they believe that to write it is a substitute for fighting. It is the same in all wars; the soldiers do the fighting, the journalists do the shouting, and no true patriot ever gets near a front-line trench, except on the briefest of propaganda-tours. George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia **** audiobook 8.05.29
There are occasions when it pays better to fight and be beaten than not to fight at all. ibid.
One must above all die fighting. George Orwell, cited Arena: George Orwell IV: The Lion & The Unicorn, BBC 1983
Without the fighters you are out of business … If fighters are dirt, what are managers made of? The Harder They Fall 1956, Humphrey Bogart, cited After the Last Round
The world over, cultures have been shaped through combat. Each culture unique in their approach to scratch out their survival. Fightworld s1e1: Mexico: La Pistola y el Corazon, Netflix 2018
Mexico: home to some of the greatest fighters the sport of boxing has ever known. ibid.
Mexican boxing is about fighting in the pocket, very rarely backing up, very rarely surrendering … They pride themselves on being the toughest in the ring. ibid.
Welcome to Thailand: Muay Thai, or Thai boxing, is referred to as ‘the art of the eight limbs’: two fists, two elbows, two knees and two legs. Fightworld s1e2: Thailand: Fortunate Son
Boxers in Thailand start young, very young. ibid.
The conditioning these guys have to go through is amazing. ibid.
‘You wouldn’t have the atmosphere without the gambling.’ ibid. English fan
‘Traditional Lethwei is different from other martial arts like Muay Thai. We can use head butt. Traditional Lethwei is a combination of all our martial arts.’ Fightworld s1e3: Myanmar: Crossroads, fighter
If you’re going to be old school, you’ve got to train old school. ibid.
A country and a sport standing at the crossroads. ibid.
Senegal’s national sport – Laamb wrestling – is a sport of combat and violence in a welcoming and peaceful nation. Fightworld s1e4: Senegal: If I Should Fall from Grace with God
He is 260 lbs and moves like he’s 160 lbs. ibid.