The brutal British world of underground bare-knuckle boxing, where fighters throw punches in metal cages while being cheered by crowds, has been exposed in gruesome detail.
Hundreds of spectators fuel the fighters’ aggression as they scream for hard punches in makeshift cages.
Fighters have one goal and that is to completely destroy their opponent by knocking them out or forcing them to admit defeat through a ‘submission’.
Shocking images of the events reveal the popularity of legal fights, with puffy-faced fighters battling among roaring crowds.
In one clip, a young boy can be seen clinging to one of the cages, fully grasped as he watches two men deliver blows while being regulated by an “official.”
The brutal British world of underground bare-knuckle boxing, where fighters throw punches in metal cages while being cheered by crowds, has been laid bare in gruesome detail
Fighters have one goal and that is to completely destroy their opponent by knocking them out or forcing them to admit defeat through a ‘submission’. Pictured: Brett and “Ads” battle it out to settle scores
Another clip shows two men savagely beating each other to the ground with brutal blows to their heads.
The footage comes from an event in Bridlington, South Yorkshire, hosted by Bare Knuckle Street Fighting Brawls.
It gathered over 100 avid bare-knuckle boxing fans who spent around £40 each to watch 12 men settle scores in six fights.
Yorkshire Livewho had been invited to the Bridlington brawl attended after hearing the events were ‘barbaric’ and unsafe.
The organizers reject this claim, saying the events allow ‘scores to be settled’ in a controlled manner.
They believe it prevents thugs from getting involved in street fights, possibly with guns.
Quick to justify the brutality, Derek Heggie told reporters, “We’re stopping what in some cases would be worse violence.
“That’s why we’re fighters first, the fighters are taken care of because I know what it takes to get in there and do it.”
The South Yorkshire event gathered over 100 avid bare-knuckle boxing fans who spent around £40 each to watch 12 men settle scores in six fights
Organizers believe the bare-knuckle brawls help prevent thugs from getting involved in street fights, possibly with guns
Organizers say the events make it possible to ‘settle scores’ in a controlled manner. Pictured: Callum McFarlane kneels in the ring
Private medical teams, who agree that the fighting is “public,” also attend the events and treat injured combatants for cuts and bruises.
Meanwhile, police officers on the scene monitored what was going on, but soon fled, eventually giving it the green light.
Co-organizer Andrew Smith says: ‘Look, it can’t be barbaric if we have the signature of the police, can it? If there was a problem they would have stopped it, but we have the green light.”
But amid the heat and violence, a fighter was seen storming out of the cage after allegedly biting a man’s ear twice. Meanwhile, Brian Hollywood and Stenton Cornthwaite could be seen settling their feud by punching each other in the face and neck.
And another heavyweight fight ended in an early stoppage due to a twisted knee.
Bare-knuckle fighting is one of Britain’s oldest sports, but in recent years martial arts such as MMA have exploded in popularity.
Hundreds of spectators turned out to watch 12 men fight in makeshift cages in South Yorkshire
At one point, the police showed up at the event, but saw nothing criminal with what was going on
Private medical teams, who agree that the fighting is “public,” also attend the events and treat injured combatants for cuts and bruises. Pictured: Jack and Phil, the medical team
Fighters have one goal: to completely destroy their opponent by knocking them out or force them to admit defeat through a “submission”
But speaking of the recent event in Bridlington, Superintendent Paul Bennett recounted The sun: The event had already started when we were made aware of it and had no prior knowledge of it.
“Following local concerns about the activity, we deployed local police officers and approached the organizers of the event.
“Our agents have informed the event organizer of their legal obligations to comply with the licensing law.
Humberside Police will work with East Riding of Yorkshire Council to investigate any breaches of the Licensing Act and prevent future unlicensed events.
“The event was monitored by the police and no criminal offenses were reported.”
Bare Knuckle Street Fighting Brawls has another event scheduled for the end of this month in Bridlington.
MailOnline has independently contacted Humberside Police for comment.