'The fight game helps me stay sober': Padiham fighter Jack Dugdale thriving in bare knuckle boxing
Bare-knuckle boxer Jack Dugdale is eagerly anticipating his mid-October fight on a major show in Leeds organised by Jim Freeman Dove’s BKB Promotions. For Dugdale this will be the first of the four bouts guaranteed in his newly signed professional contract with BKB.
“I’m excited for the fight. I love bare knuckle boxing. It’s a gentleman’s sport and it’s where modern boxing’s come from. It’s violent, of course it is, but it’s violence in a highly controlled environment. It suits me. I’ve always wanted to fight. I’ve got a violent nature. I can’t explain why but whoever my opponent turs out to be needs to prepare for an all-out war.”
Dugdale, 32, lives in Padiham and works as a personal fitness trainer. “As a younger man I did both MMA and Jiu-jitsu. I lost my way in my twenties owing to an addictive personality. I was a young man drifting with no purpose and with a young daughter who needed a dad who could cope. Watching a bare-knuckle bout was a light bulb moment. I knew I could do it. Bare-knuckled fighters are elite athletes and that’s what I wanted. The first step was to lose 20 kg, over three stone.”
“My record is now a win in my one gloved bout plus four bare knuckle wins out of five since early 2023. “In my first bare knuckle I got the fastest ever knockout the Bad to the Bone promotion had ever had. Just 13 seconds. I then stopped my second opponent in 40 seconds to win a British title. I went on to defeat experienced fighter Frankie Gavin on BKFC. I was the underdog who knocked him out in 52 seconds earning me the nickname ‘One Smack Jack.’”
Jim Freeman Dove, now 48, established BKB in 2014. “I’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 needed to cast off its dubious image and become the professional outfit we’ve created. Foremost is our duty of care to the fighters. You’ll find experienced referees and highly qualified medical staff at our events.”
“There can be no doubt that bare knuckle has a more dangerous reputation than gloved boxing with injuries such as lacerations appearing dramatic, and some fights can be a bloodbath. As the fights are relatively short head trauma is reduced. Few bouts go the full distance. Knowing they’re professional athletes on professional shows enhances the commitment of fighters like Jack Dugdale.”
Former professional boxer and himself now a bare-knuckle fighter, Burnley’s Seamus Devlin trains Dugdale. “Jack has smashed his pre-fight training camp. His approach to his BKB debut has been highly professional. Jack’s living a clean life and being consistent about making weight. We’re looking for a stoppage win in the trigon. That’s our bare-knuckle ring.”
“The fight game helps me stay sober,” concluded Dugdale. “That’s helped me be a better father. That’s priceless. My daughter loves her dance classes. Maybe one day she’ll choose to train to fight. I won’t stand in her way. Anyone who wants to see how I and the other fighters thrive in the ring would enjoy seeing me make my BKB debut and I could do with the local support. See you in Yorkshire.”
Contact Dugdale on 07521 245969 or e-mail [email protected] for tickets for the BKB event taking place at Planet Ice Arena, Elland Road Leeds on 18th October and themed as Leeds Brawl II. Tickets are also available via https://www.bkbbareknuckle.com/tickets.