Organizers of the latest major bare-knuckle boxing show in West Cumbria say they have “raised the bar” with a night of high-quality fights.
The WBKBII event at Lillyhall featured a series of bare-knuckle competitions in front of sold-out audiences.
This was the second such event held in recent months, and its success paved the way for more in the future.
Peter Gilmour, one of the organizing team, said: “We think we have raised the bar with this show.”
This was the second major bare knuckle event held in West Cumbria. (Image: Ray Paterson – Mondo Ghecko Photography)
“It was a step forward from the first one; It was a night of truly high quality fights, showcasing some amazing fighters.
“All the production values of the show were next level; visuals and sounds too. It was a quality night in front of a sold out crowd. “We couldn’t be more proud of what we achieved.”
In the top fight, Maryport-based Bartek ‘Polish Plow’ Kanabey won the WBKB British featherweight title by defeating Nathan Thompson with a technical knockout in the first round.
Thus, Kanabey became a double champion by dropping down the weight rankings after his lightweight victory in last year’s first WBKB bout.
Bartek Kanabey, double WBKBII champion (Image: Ray Paterson – Mondo Ghecko Photography)
“He’s a great fighter and, more importantly, an even better person,” Gilmour said.
“He is one of the loveliest men you could ever want to meet and you cannot begrudge him any of the success that has come his way.”
Kanabey will use the BKFC card to face the experienced Bakhtyor Kudratov in a lightweight bout in Milton Keynes on April 6.
“We are very proud that he will come to our ranks at WBKB and compete on the biggest stage,” added Gilmour.
Seven more fights took place during the night, with Jack Dugdale defeating Andy Walsh to claim the WBKB British heavyweight title.
“There were also difficulties; We lost two fighters on Friday night, which was very difficult because we had to find two fighters on short notice. That’s not always easy to do in the sport of bare-knuckle boxing,” added Gilmour.
“One of the guys we called was Andy Walsh; he had brought his girlfriend to the Lake District for a break, we knew he was in the area so we tested the waters with him and he replied: ‘I’m in. I’m on holiday but I brought my mouthguard with me’.”
“He came in and did a great job; he failed his tackle but it was great to step in like that.”
Carlisle’s BKFC England champion Danny Christie was one of the referees for the West Cumbrian event (Image: Ray Paterson – Mondo Ghecko Photography)
Runnington’s Dan Park was also among the winners on the night, defeating Shaun Kissane by TKO in the first round.
And Whitehaven’s Grant Hocking did well in his fight against Bobby Wilson, also winning by TKO in the first round.
Gilmour also praised the sell-out crowd for their role in creating a special evening at CRL, Lillyhall.
“We got through the night without a single incident. That’s our goal,” he said.
“You can’t always predict what’s going to happen. Sometimes even at the most high-profile events at places like Wembley you can see people misbehaving, but the behavior of our crowd was impeccable in terms of how they respected the spectacle and the fights and we had a trouble-free night.
“This one did it. “We want to thank them for coming here and supporting us.”
Carlisle’s BKFC British light-heavyweight champion Danny Christie was one of the referees.
The special guest of the event was Joe Egan, Mike Tyson’s former sparring partner.
“Joe Egan had time to talk and take pictures with everyone, and he gave a full speech on Sunday,” Gilmour said.
Joe Egan was West Cumbria’s special guest (Image: Ray Paterson – Mondo Ghecko Photography)
“He was one of the most humble, genuine and impressive people I have ever had the privilege of meeting.
“He lived an extraordinary life, but he was still very humble and down-to-earth and gave so much time to everyone at the event, we were honored to have him there.”
Organizers now plan to expand the event even further; A third event is expected to be held in west Cumbria in August, with plans being made for future shows in other parts of the country.
“Everything right now is thriving because of the hard work we put in as a team, aided and abetted by myself, Kevin Thompson, his wife Kelly, Ross Allan,” Gilmour said.
“We had a hard time attracting fighters at the first show, we were in a bit of a pickle, whereas now we have a lot of prestigious companies wanting to sponsor the event and a lot of fighters are asking when the next event will be.
“I think rumors are floating around about how we treat warriors.
“The third will most likely be in West Cumbria, but we are looking forward to expanding the network to places like Barrow, Carlisle, Penrith and becoming a representative show for the whole county.
Organizers are planning another event in West Cumbria later this year and are also looking to hold more events across the county (Image: Ray Paterson – Mondo Ghecko Photography)
“The focus will remain on quality rather than quantity; Instead of lowering the quality, we’d rather show less and make sure it’s a great product that everyone wants to know about.
“When we first started, there was no guarantee it would be successful; but thanks to hard work, dedication and talent we are basically where we are now and we are proud of what we have achieved as a team. “It’s fair to say we’re all overwhelmed by this.”
WBKBII RESULTS
Richard Hodgson defeated Jimmy Wilson by knockout (R1).
Gary Taylor defeated Matt Sutton via unanimous decision
Russell Burns defeated Jamie Christopher by TKO (R1).
Jack Dugdale defeated Andy Walsh by TKO (R1).
Mani Hameed defeated Gav Stafford by TKO (R1).
Grant Hocking defeated Bobby Wilson by TKO (R1).
Dan Park defeated Shaun Kissane by TKO (R1).
Bartek Kanabey defeated Nathan Thompson by TKO (R1).