Bare knuckle boxing group breaks silence over Perth fight rejection
The organisation behind the push to bring the Bare Knuckle Boxing Championship to Perth has accused the Combat Sports Commission of blindsiding it after it rejected the event application earlier this month.
On June 5, the commission rejected an application by Knuckle Up Australia on behalf of BKFC to stage Australia's first-ever bare knuckle boxing event on July 19 at RAC Arena over concerns it 'had not met the required criteria.'
Knuckle Up Australia released a statement on Monday afternoon saying the decision had blindsided them and that the commission had been vague in the reasons for its rejection.
'We were blindsided by the outcome, given the 15 months of work between our team and the Commission to establish the sport's rule set and secure recognition as a sanctioned body,' event organiser Suanne Giles said.
The statement said the commission had rejected the event because of medical advice that suggested the likelihood of facial and hand injuries was higher than in gloved boxing and had raised concerns that fighters on the card did not have the right level of experience in the sport.
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'We provided medical data and international precedent that addressed the concerns; however, the commission maintains reservations regarding injury risk and raised issues with a bout card that was not finalised and assessed in part 2 of the permit, which was due 21 days before the contest,' Knuckle Up said.
'While our submissions and discussions addressed the commission's concerns...we are now seeking clarity on what it vaguely referred to as 'amongst other things'.
'We are seeking clarification on the ruling and will evaluate whether to appeal or modify the proposal.'
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A bare-knuckle boxing event described as a "blood sport" has been canned following backlash from political leaders and health authorities. In a decision handed down on Thursday, Western Australia's Combat Sports Commission blocked the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship's application to hold an event at Perth's RAC Arena in July. "The board was not satisfied the event met the required criteria," a spokesperson said. Tickets to the Australian-first event - including $6000 'Notorious Access' packages featuring a meet and greet with celebrity fighter Conor McGregor - had already been on sale before it was rejected by the commission's board. The event's promotion had sparked a political brawl, with medical professionals raising serious concerns about the health and safety of fighters and the message the event sent to the community. 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Tickets to the Australian-first event - including $6000 'Notorious Access' packages featuring a meet and greet with celebrity fighter Conor McGregor - had already been on sale before it was rejected by the commission's board. The event's promotion had sparked a political brawl, with medical professionals raising serious concerns about the health and safety of fighters and the message the event sent to the community. The downsides of the sport were "so obvious they barely needed repeating", Australian Medical Association WA branch president Michael Page said in a statement before the commission's decision. "We are in the grip of a domestic violence crisis and an epidemic of drug- and alcohol-fuelled street violence," Dr Page said. "Turning the act of bare-knuckle fighting into a 'sport' sets an incredibly bad example for children and adults alike. "The physical health of the fighters involved is also of concern." Dr Page described the event as "blood sport", while state opposition spokesperson Peter Rundle labelled it "state-sanctioned violence". WA Sports Minister Rita Saffioti told reporters Perth had hosted dozens of combat sports events, with fans having flocked to UFC mixed martial arts bouts. "It's very hard to differentiate this type of event, compared to mixed martial arts and UFC," she said prior to the decision. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had expressed concern about the event. "I think one of the things that might be relevant here is the concern that's there about concussion in general," he told Perth radio 6PR on Tuesday. "It's not really my responsibility as PM, but I do think that we need to be really cognisant about health advice when it comes to these issues because they are really prevalent." In 2021, fighter Justin Thornton reportedly died weeks after he suffered an injury following a knockout at a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship event in the United States. The Perth event had been scheduled to take place at RAC Arena on July 19. A bare-knuckle boxing event described as a "blood sport" has been canned following backlash from political leaders and health authorities. In a decision handed down on Thursday, Western Australia's Combat Sports Commission blocked the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship's application to hold an event at Perth's RAC Arena in July. "The board was not satisfied the event met the required criteria," a spokesperson said. Tickets to the Australian-first event - including $6000 'Notorious Access' packages featuring a meet and greet with celebrity fighter Conor McGregor - had already been on sale before it was rejected by the commission's board. The event's promotion had sparked a political brawl, with medical professionals raising serious concerns about the health and safety of fighters and the message the event sent to the community. The downsides of the sport were "so obvious they barely needed repeating", Australian Medical Association WA branch president Michael Page said in a statement before the commission's decision. "We are in the grip of a domestic violence crisis and an epidemic of drug- and alcohol-fuelled street violence," Dr Page said. "Turning the act of bare-knuckle fighting into a 'sport' sets an incredibly bad example for children and adults alike. "The physical health of the fighters involved is also of concern." Dr Page described the event as "blood sport", while state opposition spokesperson Peter Rundle labelled it "state-sanctioned violence". WA Sports Minister Rita Saffioti told reporters Perth had hosted dozens of combat sports events, with fans having flocked to UFC mixed martial arts bouts. "It's very hard to differentiate this type of event, compared to mixed martial arts and UFC," she said prior to the decision. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had expressed concern about the event. "I think one of the things that might be relevant here is the concern that's there about concussion in general," he told Perth radio 6PR on Tuesday. "It's not really my responsibility as PM, but I do think that we need to be really cognisant about health advice when it comes to these issues because they are really prevalent." In 2021, fighter Justin Thornton reportedly died weeks after he suffered an injury following a knockout at a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship event in the United States. The Perth event had been scheduled to take place at RAC Arena on July 19. A bare-knuckle boxing event described as a "blood sport" has been canned following backlash from political leaders and health authorities. In a decision handed down on Thursday, Western Australia's Combat Sports Commission blocked the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship's application to hold an event at Perth's RAC Arena in July. "The board was not satisfied the event met the required criteria," a spokesperson said. Tickets to the Australian-first event - including $6000 'Notorious Access' packages featuring a meet and greet with celebrity fighter Conor McGregor - had already been on sale before it was rejected by the commission's board. The event's promotion had sparked a political brawl, with medical professionals raising serious concerns about the health and safety of fighters and the message the event sent to the community. The downsides of the sport were "so obvious they barely needed repeating", Australian Medical Association WA branch president Michael Page said in a statement before the commission's decision. "We are in the grip of a domestic violence crisis and an epidemic of drug- and alcohol-fuelled street violence," Dr Page said. "Turning the act of bare-knuckle fighting into a 'sport' sets an incredibly bad example for children and adults alike. "The physical health of the fighters involved is also of concern." Dr Page described the event as "blood sport", while state opposition spokesperson Peter Rundle labelled it "state-sanctioned violence". WA Sports Minister Rita Saffioti told reporters Perth had hosted dozens of combat sports events, with fans having flocked to UFC mixed martial arts bouts. "It's very hard to differentiate this type of event, compared to mixed martial arts and UFC," she said prior to the decision. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had expressed concern about the event. "I think one of the things that might be relevant here is the concern that's there about concussion in general," he told Perth radio 6PR on Tuesday. "It's not really my responsibility as PM, but I do think that we need to be really cognisant about health advice when it comes to these issues because they are really prevalent." In 2021, fighter Justin Thornton reportedly died weeks after he suffered an injury following a knockout at a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship event in the United States. The Perth event had been scheduled to take place at RAC Arena on July 19.
