West Cumbria is poised to host its third major bare-knuckle boxing event this weekend – with titles on the line and a first female fight.
WBKBIII is being staged at the Copeland Stadium in Whitehaven on Saturday night.
Organisers hope it will prove the biggest event so far in the growing WBKB promotion, with a number of special guests set to attend as well as fighters from across the UK along with some local talent.
Top of the bill is a European welterweight title fight between Jack ‘One Smack’ Dugdale and Vidmantas ‘The Machine’ Cernickis.
A British title fight at featherweight, meanwhile, will see Maryport’s Gary Taylor take on Rhys Hampton from Doncaster.
A first for WBKB, meanwhile, sees two female fighters go head to head for the first time as Annan’s Sandra Rees faces Tammy O’Connor in a 58kg contest.
The fights feature on an 11-fight card.
Ross Allan, who hosts the In The Red Korner podcast, is one of the organisers and said those involved are looking forward to putting on a real show.
“We’ve had a few changes to the card along the way, but I think the changes will make for a higher quality night,” he told the News & Star.
“We’ve got the BKFC UK president Andrew Bakewell coming to the show, and other BKFC stars there, such as Gary Fox, as special guests, while David Round is going to be a special guest judge.”
Carlisle’s BKFC British champion Danny Christie will again be a guest referee while west Cumbrian BKFC fighters Agi Faulkner and Bartek Kanabey – a double WBKB champion – will also be there to watch as special guests.
“I love the fact that we're able to bring guys to Cumbria from all over the country and be able to put on a show,” added Allan.
“We're so proud to be able to put on a show of this magnitude and attract these kind of guys that have done so much for the sport already.
“We're hoping that Andy Bakewell might cast his eye over it and pick out some talent and then go on to fight for the BKFC as well.
“We want to be a company in our own right, but we don't want to stop anyone from doing better and going on to the big show.
“People like Bartek have shown there is a pathway and we can be a showcase for talent.
“On the main card we’ve also got people like Mani Hameed, who is 5-0 at the moment and I think his destiny is to go into the BKFC.
“Gary Fox’s brother, Darren, is making his bare-knuckle debut and Andy Walsh, who is well known around the circuit, says he is proud that the WBKB is possibly going to be one of the last fights he’ll be having.
“We have local lads like Sam Peel from Workington. We really want to showcase him and can’t wait to see him perform. Sam has a butcher’s shop in west Cumbria and is a talent.
“We’ve got many more Cumbrian fighters, such as Richard Hodgson, Josh Monkhouse, Martin Smith, Phil Flavell and Matt Sutton, from Gretna.”
On the first all-female fight in the WBKB, Allan said: “It’s history making for us to have a female bare-knuckle fight on our card, and something that we're very proud of.
“It's something that we certainly want to encourage.
“It's a professional sport. People aren't just jumping in. We're taking people that are experienced in other combat sports. Sandra and Tammy may be both making their bare-knuckle debuts, but they're both experienced in their own fields.
“The female division even in the BKFC in the UK is virtually non-existent, so to get two girls from the UK to fight on our show is a big deal for us.”
Allan said organisers are expecting a bigger attendance than the 600 who watched WBKBII in March.
A limited number of VIP and standard tickets are available – contact WBKBIII via Facebook or Instagram, or contact Ross via the In The Red Korner Podcast, or Kevin on 07586729822.
“It's going to be an unbelievable show,” he added. “I'm led to believe that there's going to be lasers and fireballs and fantastic cannons and all that.
“We're really trying to up the production value on this show. As always, we want to get bigger and better.
“[Organisers] Kev Thompson, Kelly Thompson, Peter Gilmour and myself feel like we're creating something very, very special here.”
Friday will see a ceremonial weigh-in at Moresby Rugby Club with doors opening at 5pm. BKFC fighter David Round will also be there to meet fans.
Allan added a note of thanks to the event’s sponsors and supporters, including Paige Sewell Beauty, Bounty Competitions, Cloud Competitions, Lake District Raw Dog Food, Maxwell Flooring, Vandella Phone Repairs, Andy’s Man Club and Paton Bros Scaffolding Ltd.
“We couldn’t do it without them,” Allan added. “Everyone who has supported us from day one – they’re the reason we do what we do and why we want to put on a great show for everyone.”
FULL WBKBIII FIGHT CARD
MAIN CARD
Jack ‘One Smack" Dugdale (Cobras Den, Burnley) v Vidmantas "The Machine" Cernickis Olympus Gym, Rotherham.
Gary Taylor (HFA MMA Maryport) v Rhys "Bam Bam" Hampton (Olympus Gym, Doncaster)
Sam Peel (HFA MMA Workington) v Kane "the Hitman" Wilkinson (North East)
Darren Fox (Middlesbrough) v Aiden Harris (Birmingham)
Sandra "The Tartan Witch" Rees (Annan) v Tammy O’Connor
PRELIM CARD
Ashley Gibson (Sheffield) v Mani Hameed (Coalville)
Marti Barnes (Ellesmere Port) v Gez Hargreaves (Wales)
Josh Monkhouse (Carlisle) v Callum Fuller (Hull, Street Beefz)
Martin "The Cutter" Smith (HFA MMA Workington) v Matt "The Savage" Sutton (Gretna)
Mr Volsh Andy Walsh (Maxi Gym, Worksop) v Nathan Chicken Thompson (Newcastle)
Richard Hodgson (HFA MMA Workington) v Phil Flavell (Whitehaven Independent)
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