Swansea bare knuckle boxer LIAM ‘ROCKY’ REES has returned triumphant after his victory over veteran Yorkshire bare knuckle fighter Scott McHugh on the main event at BYB32 The Leeds Brawl and is now the holder of the elite world title Police Gazette Diamond Belt at super welterweight first awarded in 1882.
Liam told us…..
“Winning this world title belt is the best thing that’s ever happened to me in the sport. I was the underdog. I came to McHugh’s home city to fight the best. I can’t be underestimated anymore. I’m hoping this leads to lucrative fights in North America and more title belts coming to Wales.”
Bare knuckle fights are often a blood-shedding affair and two minutes into what was scheduled as six three-minute rounds, Liam had been cut under his left eye and blood dripped from his opponent’s nose. By the end of round two the Swansea boxer’s face was swollen and bloody with the crowd shouting ecstatically for McHugh the home fighter.
“Bare knuckle can turn on one punch. Shortly into the third I sent him to the canvas as I countered Scott with what turned out to be an excellently placed right hand punch. He didn’t make the count. My supporters went mad. But there’s no animosity. Scott McHugh deserves his place in the Bare-Knuckle Hall of Fame, and I hope to join him there. It was an honour to share the bare-knuckle trigon, our boxing ring, with Scott and we chatted amicably after it was over. Neither of us was unscathed. It was an intense, positive and exhilarating experience for both of us and hopefully exciting and enthralling for the audience.”
BYB was set up as BKB in 2014 by Jim Freeman Dove, now 47, who’d ‘enjoyed the testosterone-fuelled atmosphere of hard men fighting bare knuckle in hay bales’ but saw that ‘to grow the sport it needed to become more family-friendly and care better for the boxers and to do so it would need to cast off its dubious image.
Jim said…..
@We’ve made it a professional outfit. We’ve had no serious injuries in a hundred shows and foremost is our duty of care to the fighters. You’ll find experienced referees and the most qualified medical staff at our events.”
“Bare knuckle is gladiatorial and appears more dangerous than gloved boxing with injuries such as lacerations being much more dramatic. However, fights are relatively short thus reducing head trauma. Few bouts go the full distance which is a maximum of five two-minute rounds. Many fighters have appeared in up to thirty shows and from the outset are earning more and getting better promotion with challenging fights than comparable novice gloved boxers. Knowing they’re professional athletes on professional shows enhances commitment to BYB and assists fighters like Liam lead balanced lives.’
Liam is trained by Jason Williams whop told us…..
“It was an honour for us to get this opportunity. We always knew Liam’s potential. Our training doesn’t follow traditional boxing method. We’ve developed, adapted and continually improved our approach over time. In Leeds Liam showed the bare-knuckle world the extent to which he’s a force to be reckoned with. This victory is still relatively early in his career, this was only his seventeenth fight and fourth bare knuckle bout. There is just so much more to come.’ Kienan Williams added ‘Liam showed the full package in there and just how mature a fighter he has become displaying the technique drilled in the training camp.”
Swansea’s Rees grew up in Trawllwn but now lives with his wife, two young children and teenage niece in Townhill and runs his own building and home improvements company.
“I’ve had dark periods in my life and struggled with addiction. Bare knuckle fighting set me free. For me it’s the best therapy. I’m indebted to my wife Emma. She’s never given up on me and has always encouraged me with boxing.
But I intend to be a world champion. Get to America and take on some of their tasty fighters. It’s all possible thanks to the generosity of my sponsors so many thanks to Cattle and Co, Resin and Co, Factory Gym and Castle Howell H&T Electrical, CGL Contractors, ASL Plumbing & Heating, South Wales Crusher & Digger Hire, The Spud Stop, Trostre Car Sales, ALR Installations Ltd, Spartan Waste, Chromenet Metals, PRG Windows, National Plastics and Steve Edge Sports Therapist.”
