THE GLOVES ARE OFF

While the purist boxing fan in me wanted to stay at home and watch Bivol versus Beterbiev, I attended Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship’s (BKFC) debut show in Marbella, which was live on DAZN. I was there to support a friend, the former two time Super-Welterweight boxing world champion Hannah Rankin- making her bare knuckle boxing debut.

Southpaw Jab has followed and supported Hannah since she was a three fight novice in the pro boxing game, but she was already making waves. A potential domestic dust up with Stacey Copeland was already on the cards but never materialised, so the “Classical Warrior” had to forge her own path, and forge it she did.

I can still remember my first meeting with Hannah and her coach Noel, we had been talking via social media for a while and trying to find a time for us to come and do a video interview. Off I travelled from Essex to Miguel’s Gym in South London, which at the time felt like a long journey… but there was something about Hannah and Noel that enticed me to travel to them.

That something clearly didn’t disappear as here I am in Malaga for the same fighter- for a different combat code. There's not many fighters I’d travel like this for (Yo Fabio! Where’s my Saudi invite!?).

Since that day I’ve always had a good relationship with Hannah and Noel, often being confided in with fights before they were announced. But they kept their cards close to their chest with this move.

When they announced that there was big news incoming it got my mind ticking. Not knowing the ins and outs I believed that Hannah had outgrown the 154lbs Super-Welterweight limit and a return to Middleweight, where Hannah won her first recognised title in the WBC silver strap, beckoned.

But I was very wrong. The news was a move to become a two combat sport world champion when Hannah announced she was joining BKFC. And I was wrong again, this time with the weight as Hannah is competing in the BKFC Featherweight division (a close comparison to boxing's welterweight limit).

Hannah had been focused, and uptight by her standards, in fight week, one which was lent glitz and glam with Xzibit, Dorian Yates and Dizzee Rascal all floating around with Conor McGregor. I got to the venue for the beginning of the main show, having sadly missed the prelims. The card was entertaining, even if the purest boxing fan was screaming “WHAT THE FUCK!?” At how quickly blood and swelling occurred. But that’s what the people want I guess? Two gladiators going to war. It got me worried for my friend, though; she’d been cut badly in the Terri Harper fight, and on other occasions.

That was with gloves on, how will Hannah’s scar tissue hold up to bare knuckles? The answer is it didn’t. Though relaxed in the ring, Hannah ended the fight with a few cuts and some bad swelling but she fought very well. Her opponent didn’t walk away mark free- with swelling near her temple and cheekbones but luckily for her, no cuts occurred. 

All of BKFC’s fights are over five, two minute rounds and I had the score 4-1 in Hannah’s favour. The scorecards were split, with one judge scoring it 3-2 to Deborah Melhorn, also making her debut. My only guess is he got a semi over all the blood. The other two judges kept their perversions in check and rightly scored the bout in Hannah’s favour giving Scotland's first ever female boxing world champion her first win in BKFC. 

The combat isn’t too much different to any other fighting code, though damage is easier to inflict and damage is the name of the game. Having said that, the “boxing” on display was very good. 

With Hannah campaigning in the BKFC Featherweight Division and having her eyes on more gold to add to her WBC Silver, two IBO World and WBA World championships she will have to navigate what seems to be a thriving female division at that weight. Jessica Borga, who called out Hannah not long after it was announced that she was joining BKFC, was in attendance at the show.

Whether she was there to scout Hannah or to support her friend David Mundell in his Middleweight title defence is for only her to know but my guess it was a case of two birds, one stone. A fight between the two seems a mouth watering prospect that will no doubt happen once Hannah’s wounds are fully healed. 

If it wasn’t for Hannah and Noel, I wouldn’t have watched BKFC before I went to this event, but then I wouldn’t go to unlicensed boxing either. Hannah is a fighter, she loves a scrap and BKFC on paper seems made for her. I’m excited to watch her journey in this new sport, even if the purist in me is still screaming “why!?” to her move away from Queensbury Rules.