The Top Prize in Professional Bare Knuckle Boxing Enters Competition
The moment announcer Jeff Houston declared Joey Beltran the winner by unanimous decision in his fight against Chase Sherman at BKFC9, the Police Gazette World Heavyweight Championship Belt entered the ring for the first time since 1889. It took 130 years to get there, but it was a couple of big moves in the six days before the November 16th event that made it possible.
Read how the Police Gazette Belt became the world’s top prize in bare knuckle boxing for a refresher. But in the modern age, bare-knuckle legend Bobby Gunn had been declared Police Gazette World Heavyweight Champion in 2016 by the National Police Gazette and the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame, which is the belt’s caretaker. In 2018, the sport was finally legalized at the state level for the first time, opening the doors for fully sanctioned events. Bobby fought and won a non-title bout, but since then has had one match after another fall through unexpectedly.
So after a long and illustrious career in both gloved boxing and bare knuckle, Bobby, now 45 years old, is considering his next moves. As a result, Scott Burt, president of the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame and Police Gazette Boxing Corporation, announced on November 11th that Bobby Gunn has been named a Police Gazette Champion Emeritus, a designation granted to “a past Police Gazette World Champion of extraordinary prestige, reputation, stature, or everlasting legacy in the sport. The Police Gazette Champion Emeritus recognition is the highest of honors granted by the PGBC to any boxer.” Bobby Gunn personifies this description and clearly deserves the sport’s highest honor.
President Burt said “Through Bobby’s magnetic personality, dedication, and drive he quickly became the poster boy for bare knuckle boxing. The sport would not be what it is today without the early efforts of Bobby Gunn.”
Upon Bobby’s promotion, the World Heavyweight Championship became vacant and open for competition. The November 16th event already featured Police Gazette American Heavyweight Champion Chase Sherman defending his title against Joey Beltran. Now with the World Belt available, President Burt announced on November 13th that the Sherman/Beltran bout would be for the World title.
Joey Beltran won and now places his name with Bobby Gunn, John L. Sullivan, and Jake Kilrain as a holder of the Police Gazette World Heavyweight Championship Belt, the highest honor in professional bare knuckle for active boxers. It is worth noting, however, that the rules allow Bobby to still challenge for the World title any time he chooses and be put at the top of the list without having to re-prove himself.
So the Police Gazette World Heavyweight Championship Belt is back in the ring being bestowed to new champions. And a 138-year-old tradition continues. President Burt has said, “Others can say ’history;’ we ARE history!”