Bare-knuckle boxing: WBKB III in Whitehaven hailed a success

WBKBIII took place at the Copeland Stadium in Whitehaven last weekend.

It saw a title fights, Cumbrian boxers and a first all-female contest take centre stage.

Those behind the event said it delivered on their aims and more.

“From start to finish it was unbelievable,” said Ross Allan, one of the organising team and host of the In The Red Korner podcast.

“The atmosphere everyone created in there was fantastic.

“Fight one really set the standard, fight two was a war and it went on in the same vein.

“It had everything you want from a bare-knuckle show.

One of the highlights was the first WBKBIII all-female fight between Sandra Rees, left, and Tammy O'Connor (Image: Dave Morris)

“We were blessed with the weather, and in terms of the crowd there was no trouble, which is a massive plus for us with all the testosterone flying around!

“We’ve not had any trouble at any shows. The sunshine made it all the better and brought a few more to the event.

“The Cumbrian lads who fought all came in shape, and the BKFC bigwigs who came, such as [UK president] Andrew Bakewell was impressed with the show – he had nothing but great things to say about it, and the fighters.”

The third WBKB show saw the European welterweight title won by Vidmantas Cernickis, who got the better of Jack Dugdale by first round knockout.

There was a Cumbrian winner of the British featherweight title as Maryport’s Gary Taylor defeated Doncaster’s Rhys Hampton by unanimous decision.

Workington’s Sam Peel also enjoyed a winning lightweight debut, defeating Welsh opponent Jordan Marshall by corner stoppage in round two.

Also on the main card, Darren Fox defeated Aiden Harris by first round technical knock-out in a welterweight fight.

The first WBKB all-female fight, meanwhile, saw Annan’s Sandra Rees defeat Leeds’ Tammy O’Connor by unanimous decision.

It was the third big bare-knuckle event to be held in west Cumbria (Image: Dave Morris)

The preliminary card, meanwhile, saw Mani Hameed defeat Will Cairns in a middleweight bout, with Carlisle’s Josh Monkhouse getting the better of Hull’s Callum Fuller to win their bantamweight battle.

Workington’s Martin Smith defeated Gretna’s Matt Sutton at featherweight while Richard Hodgson, also from Workington, defeated Whitehaven’s Phil Flavell at welterweight.

Sam Blakesley defeated Andy Walsh in the other prelim contest.

Allan said the event could pave the way for bigger things in the sport for some of the fighters.

“It looks like a couple of them are going to be signed up by the BKFC,” he said.

“The female fight was absolutely fantastic. That fight wouldn’t have looked out of place on a BKFC show.

“Danny Christie did a fantastic job refereeing as always, and it was great to have David Round as a special guest judge. He felt the love from Cumbria.

“As a team we’re all really happy how it went. We want to make every show we do better than the last one and we feel we’ve gone up a level again in all aspects.”

Organisers are already looking ahead to WBKB IV, which it is intended to take place next March.

Carlisle's BKFC champion Danny Christie, left, was a guest referee. He is pictured with co-organiser and MC Ross Allan (Image: Dave Morris)

“We’ve had so many people reaching out wanting to fight on our platform. We want to help grow the sport in every aspect,” Allan said.

“Number four is going to be big. We don’t have an official venue yet but with the fighters we’ve got in mind, we’ve got a lot of people interested.

“There’s a massive bare-knuckle hub of fighters in the north east, and there’s one in Leeds and surrounding areas. We’re now creating a big hub in Cumbria. To be able to give them a platform, and help them grow their profiles, in our own way is something we’re very proud of.

“The long-term plan is to branch out [from west Cumbria]. There’s no location set for WBKB IV as yet. If there are any venues out there who want to offer their services we’d be interested in listening to anyone.”

Allan added words of praise for the hard work, dedication and time put in by fellow organisers Kev and Kelly Thompson and Peter Gilmour to make WBKB III a success. 

They also thanked 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.