Bare Knuckle: Bobby Gunn, 73-0 Undefeated. A Dad. A Dream. A Fight Like You’ve Never Seen
Stayton Bonner
Blackstone Publishing (April 2024)

“Champions get up when they can’t.” Jack Dempsey

My take: For some people, Bare Knuckle is a compelling reading experience; for others, a story with little (if any) appeal. That explains my rating: Three Stars (combine five and one and divide by two); then I added a star because I think it is very well-written.

Since childhood when I became an avid reader, I have viewed books as “magic carpets” that can take me almost anywhere. I have just returned from an extended visit to “the underground,” the world of bare-knuckle boxing about which I previously knew nothing, except for what I observed in Hard Times (1975), a film co-starring Charles Bronson and James Coburn, directed by Walter Hill. It also shares some issues in common with The Wrestler (2008), a film starring Mickey Rourke as Randy (“The Ram”) Robinson, This is a drama about an aging professional wrestler, decades past his prime, who now barely gets by working small wrestling shows in VFW halls and as a part-time grocery store employee.

According to Wikipedia, “bare-knuckle boxing (also known as bare-knuckle or bare-knuckle fighting) is a full-contact combat sport based on punching without any form of padding on the hands. The sport as it is known today originated in 17th-century England and differs from street fighting as it follows an accepted set of rules.

“The rules that provided the foundation for bare-knuckle boxing for much of the 18th and 19th centuries were the London Prize Ring Rules. By the late 19th century, professional boxing moved from bare-knuckle to using boxing gloves. The last major world heavyweight championship held under bare-knuckle boxing rules happened in 1889 and was held by John L. Sullivan. The American National Police Gazette magazine was recognized as sanctioning the world championship titles.”

In Bare Knuckle, Stayton Bonner takes his readers into what is for  most people a previously unknown world: underground illegal bare-knuckle fighting. The focus is on Bobby Gunn and his struggles with all manner of issues best revealed in Stayton Bonner’s lively narrative. Many people are apparently interested in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)  and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

If you are one of them, you’ll love this book. Otherwise….