Carlisle bare-knuckle boxer valiantly beaten in ferocious UK title fight

Yahoo

21 hours ago

Carlisle bare-knuckle boxer Danny Christie's bid to become British champion for a second time ended in valiant defeat in Birmingham.
The Currock man's BKFC British welterweight title fight against Connor Tierney was a ferocious contest.
But Christie was ultimately beaten by technical knockout in the fourth round after his corner stepped in.
The 40-year-old Cumbrian traded some formidable blows with home-city champion Tierney at BKFC 77 Birmingham.
The Carlisle boxer's face took some serious punishment whilst Christie landed some powerful shots of his own as he fought on.
Connor Tierney BEATS Danny Christie after the referee stops the fight! 😯#BKFC77 | LIVE on DAZN | TONIGHT pic.twitter.com/lTxu0xGC94
— DAZN Sport (@DAZN_Sport) June 28, 2025
But the fight was called to a halt 14 seconds into round four, with the post-fight announcements confirming that it was Christie's corner rather than referee Alan Jackson who had called a stop to things.
It saw 30-year-old Tierney retain his title, with Christie denied in his comeback BKFC fight as he tried to add the welterweight title to the UK light-heavyweight crown he won in 2023.
The fight was top of the card at BP Pulse Live and lived up to its billing as the two fighters showcased a contrast of powerful styles.
Tierney, fighting from the blue corner, set the early pace with some rapid uppercuts and body shots, drawing early blood, before Christie – who had cut a relaxed and confident figure in his ring walk – offered a strong response with a big right-hand blow that connected with his opponent just before the first round bell.
The reigning champion showed sharp movement as the pair traded more blows, Christie's face increasingly blood-streaked as cuts opened up further during the second round.
The Carlisle fighter then tried to force the issue early in the third round as he went on the attack with some right and left-hand combinations, Tierney having to withstand some powerful shots from Christie whilst offering further telling body shots and jabs and showing elusive movement.
Christie, pictured at Friday's weigh-in, came out of retirement for the title fight (Image: BKFC)
The fourth round was paused early on with calls for Tierney's right-hand wrap to be attended to, but the fight did not resume as referee Jackson then signalled an end to the contest.
Christie offered no protest against the decision and was quick to embrace Tierney as the Birmingham man celebrated his victory.
The post-fight statistics showed that Christie threw and landed more punches but the damage inflicted by Tierney was also clear.
Announcer Jeff Houston duly confirmed that 'the red corner had stepped in' leading to the TKO decision in Tierney's favour.
Christie's corner team included fellow Cumbrian BKFC champion Agi Faulkner as well as Carlisle bare-knuckle boxer Kieron Sewell along with coach Arron Adair.
The fight had seen Christie return to the high-profile BKFC platform, having retired last November.
The Cumbrian made a strong impact on the top bare-knuckle stage in his initial run of fights by winning the light-heavyweight title two years ago, while last year he earned a world title fight in the middleweight division, losing to American star David Mundell.