Author: PoliceGazette

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Lineal Police Gazette Championships Revived

The Only Official Bare-Knuckle Boxing Belts Are Coming Back. 

Before March 20, 2018, professional bare-knuckle boxing was never legal anywhere in the United States. The State of Wyoming is the first to ever make it legal. However, this did not stop championship bare-knuckle prize fights from taking place in the U.S. in the past. One might ask, if it was illegal then who authorized and approved it? Easy: the National Police Gazette.

Richard K. Fox, publisher of the Police Gazette, had the power, resources, and determination to foster the nascent sport—which was all illegal, even gloved—and withstand the legal ramifications in the process. It was the Police Gazette that created rules, arranged matches, and bestowed championship belts to the winners. Before 1881, American champions had been decided by a sort of consensus among the sporting fraternity that immersed itself in the illicit doings of prize fighting. But there was never any overarching authority that could smooth the logistics—especially since they were illegal—of mediating contracts, selecting venues, providing honest stakeholders, etc. And there was no authority that could say “so-and-so is the champion and here is his belt” and have the sporting fraternity respect that, until the National Police Gazette.

The Police Gazette had been reporting on boxing matches since Fox took over the publication in the late 1870s. But in 1881, he decided to take the next step and become the organizing entity for the entire sport. Fox had become impatient with the roadblocks and difficulties that were preventing a match between Paddy Ryan, who had claimed the American championship, and a young upstart named John L. Sullivan. So the April 16, 1881, issue of the Police Gazette proclaimed, “Richard K. Fox offers to match Sullivan to fight Paddy Ryan at catch-weight, according to the new rules of the London prize ring for the heavy-weight championship of America. He will also offer a champion belt to the winner. All matches for the belt to be made at the Police Gazette office.” London Prize Ring Rules meant bare knuckle. And for the next 12 years, the Police Gazette repeatedly stated its preference for bare knuckle over gloves to determine ultimate championships. If it was gloved, it couldn’t be a real professional championship.

But by the early 1890s, largely due to Fox’s efforts, boxing began to move into acceptance and legality. The only catch was, to be legal it had to be gloved. The handwriting was on the wall. If Fox was going to continue to have the Police Gazette be a major factor in boxing, he would have to accept the gloved version for championships. Still, he made one last-ditch plea in a November 1893 editorial. “BARE KNUCKLES, NOT GLOVES” screamed the headline. “The Prize Ring Championship Has Always Been Settled In That Way.” The article goes on to explain how all the great champions of the past, in both England and America—including John L. Sullivan—had won their titles bare knuckle. But it was a lost cause. Gloves were the only way the sport could legally continue, and so Fox started allowing his belts to be won exclusively with gloves. From that point, bare-knuckle championships were no longer officially sanctioned… until now.

Now that bare knuckle is legal in Wyoming, the Police Gazette is taking its lineal championships—after 125 years—out of suspended animation. The four original weight classes, and the last boxer to win each championship in a bare-knuckle match, are as follows:

Heavyweight: John L. Sullivan
Middleweight: “The Nonpareil” Jack Dempsey
Lightweight: Jack McAuliffe
Featherweight: Ike Weir

Bobby Gunn currently holds the heavyweight belt, but has been unable to defend it due to the difficulties in navigating legalities and putting too much trust in those who promise more than they can deliver. Now that the legalities are out of the way, a match can be made in a more orderly fashion involving more reliable people. The other three weight classes are open. In addition, it is the intention of the Police Gazette to offer championships in two new weight classes: cruiserweight and bantamweight. The Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame of Belfast, New York, has been authorized by the Police Gazette to issue the heavyweight belt and will be issuing the belts for the additional weight classes as well. All weight limits will follow the current standards in professional boxing. It is the further intention of the Police Gazette that Bobby will have completed a defense of his World heavyweight belt and all American belts will be decided by November 30th of this year.

Professional championship bare-knuckle boxing is back. It deserves to have the emblems of its championships back with it.

Torpedo Billy Murphy displays the Police Gazette Feather-weight Champion Prize Ring Belt of the World after having won it in a gloved match from Ike Weir, the last bare-knuckle holder.

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Bare Knuckle Boxing Legalized by Major Government for First Time

It’s done. For the first time in the developed world, professional bare knuckle boxing has been formally approved by a top-level government. The first event will take place on June 1st or 2nd in the State of Wyoming.

As opposed to some promotions around the world that call themselves “bare knuckle,” this will be actual bare knuckle boxing. No coverings of any kind will be allowed on the knuckles. In addition, fighters may have no tape or wraps anywhere on their hands, wrists, or arms. Some wrapping will be allowed at the option of the fighter, but only around the wrists for support, and it must stop at least one inch from the knuckles.

These rules pass the test for the National Police Gazette, which was the last organization to officially sanction American and World bare-knuckle boxing championships. In those days, fighters had no wraps or coverings of any kind on the hands or arms. As a result, BKB bouts could run well over two hours as the risk of injury to the hands, fingers, or wrists of the striker greatly increases with no covering or support. Bouts could become lengthy chess matches of strategy and precision. Today, as a compromise to fans used to the pummeling action of gloved matches, optional wraps for wrist support are allowed and are expected to help strike a balance between strategy and action.

It has been a very long road to approval. For over 100 years, a stigma was attached to BKB that it was less safe and more violent than gloved boxing. But recent medical research has indicated that covering the hand of the striker actually increases the likelihood of brain injury to the person being hit. A covered hand can strike harder and more often, producing far more kinetic energy transfer to the brain than the uncovered hand. And, as has been shown in football research, a helmet might protect from superficial injury, but it does nothing to lessen the jarring movement of the brain inside the skull.

Many have been involved in trying to get BKB legalized, but local promoter Corey Williams has been the main driving force on the ground in the State of Wyoming. He’s been collecting volumes of data from not just medical research, but from hundreds of amateur BKB bouts. The overwhelming evidence finally convinced the Wyoming Combat Sports Commission to accept BKB as an approved professional combat sport.

According to Bryan Pedersen, the Commission’s chairman, pro BKB has officially been legal in Wyoming since March 20th. But any and all officials who will be involved in pro matches must first undergo training and certification by the state. This training will take place the second half of May, making the first feasible weekend for an event June 1st & 2nd. There is only one slot available for the whole weekend, which two promoters are currently vying for. For those saying “Here we go again” because of the numerous aborted BKB “events” that fizzled over the past couple of years, keep in mind June 1st/2nd is not illegal or an attempt to find an Indian reservation that could skirt state law. This time it is state law. We will keep you posted as firm details emerge.

Now that the first state has approved pro BKB, the floodgates will undoubtedly soon open. The Police Gazette World Champion belt, currently held by Bobby Gunn, will be shined up and made available for competition. When the time is right, the most prestigious award in bare knuckle boxing will once again enter the ring.

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Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame to Unveil Wrestlers Wall of Fame

The Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame (BKBHOF) in Belfast, New York, has announced it will inaugurate a new feature honoring wrestlers at its annual induction ceremony on July 7th. William Muldoon’s ALL-STAR Wrestlers Wall of Fame will include two inaugural classes: The Founder’s Class (1800s-1950s) will induct Martin “Farmer” Burns, Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, Tom Jenkins, Ed “Strangler” Lewis, William Muldoon, and Clarence Whistler; while The Modern Class (1950s to present) will induct Andre the Giant, Nick Bockwinkel, Bobo Brazil, Hulk Hogan, Walter “Killer” Kowalski, Buddy Rogers, Bruno Sammartino, Gorilla Monsoon, and The Fabulous Moolah.

William Muldoon was a star wrestler of the late 19th century who, in 1884, built the barns in Belfast that currently house the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame. In 1889, Muldoon famously trained John L. Sullivan in the barns to prepare him for his successful world boxing championship title defense against Jake Kilrain for the Police Gazette belt in what would also turn out to be the last bare-knuckle boxing world championship. Stand-up grappling and throwing, as well, were allowed under the bare-knuckle rules of the time.

Scott Burt, president of the BKBHOF, said because of Muldoon’s history as a wrestler and the wrestling components of bare-knuckle boxing of the time, it was a natural move to begin honoring pure wrestlers. Muldoon taught Sullivan grappling moves upstairs in one of the barns. “Ten years ago,” said Burt, “when Shane Cline, president of American Grappler, and myself were cleaning out and restoring the upstairs of the barns we couldn’t believe our eyes when we discovered the nail outline and strands of canvas from Muldoon’s original wrestling mat! A great find for wresting enthusiasts. There is no better place to honor wrestlers than right there on the walls of Muldoon’s original wrestling room.”

This will be the 10th year for BKBHOF induction ceremonies. “We have drawn people from all over the world,” Burt said, “to see where the great John L. Sullivan trained for his epic 75-round bare knuckle fight against Jake Kilrain for the coveted Police Gazette belt. Now with a Wall of Fame for wrestlers too, Belfast should expect even more historians and fans to flock to our small, but historically significant, town.” The unveiling of the Wrestling Wall of Fame will happen during the BKBHOF’s 10th Induction on July 7th. Guests scheduled at press time include Rick Jeanneret and Rob Ray from the Buffalo Sabres, current Bare Knuckle Champion Bobby Gunn, legendary referee Bill Clancy, 1970 World Champ Billy Backus, Team USA Jujitsu, and Buffalo Boxer Dick Topinko. For more information text Scott Burt at 585-610-3326, and visit www.bareknuckleboxinghalloffame.com.

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Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame Class of 2018 Announced

CLASS OF 2018
ORIGINAL PIONEER INDUCTEES:
Mike Conley; Bare Knuckle Boxer, 1860-1920. Known as The Ithaca Giant. 1888 Northwest American Heavyweight Champion. Career spanned 1886-1894; record was 26-4-2. Fought the likes of Jack Ashton, Joe McAuliffe, Patsy Cardiff, Billy Woods, Jim Corbett, Bob Fitzsimmons. His image is used today many times over to represent the “Manly Man”. From Ithaca, New York.

Tom Johnson; Bare Knuckle Boxer, 1750-1797. Restored honor to the sport after decades of corruption. Champion of England from 1784 to 1791. Demonstrated early mental tactical awareness in the ring that others previously lacked.

Nat Langham; Bare Knuckle Boxer, 1820-1871. An influential English pugilist who became the English Middleweight Champion. He was the only conqueror of Tom Sayers. After defeating Sayers in 1857 he retired to manage the first-ever professional champion of the boxing world, Jem Mace.

Joe Lannon; Bare Knuckle Boxer. The Hammerer, whose career spanned 1883-93. Fought the likes of Jack Aston, George Godfrey, Jake Kilrain, and Jim Corbett. Although known as one of the top heavyweights of his time, is best known for being John L. Sullivan’s exhibition and sparring partner; no one was in the ring with Sullivan more.

MODERN HONORARY INDUCTEES:
Rick Jeanneret; Announcer. The longest reigning announcer in the NHL and member of the NHL Hall of Fame. He is “The Voice of the Buffalo Sabres”. No man in history has called more ‘bare knuckle’ fights.

Tony Gee; World-Renowned Author and Historian. Resides in England. Widely viewed as one of the top bare knuckle authorities in the world. His writings are regarded as the most accurate recordings written. Future generations will look upon his works when studying the past.

Dick Topinko; Local Gloved Boxer. Retired Buffalo, New York, boxer who brought a positive spotlight to upstate New York during his career which started in 1964. He was trained by Tony Pinto and Johnny Sudac; his manager was Sam Cardinale. Won Golden Gloves in 1965. Drafted for Vietnam War; turned pro once back home in 1968. Went 14-0 as professional; picked by The Ring in 1970 as one of the Top 5 Prospects in the World. A shoulder injury later that year forced retirement.

MARIE BACKUS TEAM OF THE YEAR:
TEAM USA JUJITSU who trained in the Sullivan barns this past summer before travelling to and participating in the 2017 World Championships in Australia last fall.
Bryana Baer; Team Member.
Mike Hanchett; Team Member.
Charlie Love; Team Member.
Desmond White; Team Member.
Barry Broughton; Coach

MARIE BACKUS PERSON OF THE YEAR:
Bill Clancy; Boxing Official. Regarded by many as the top active boxing referee in the world today. Known for his honesty, integrity, personality, but most importantly for putting the safety of boxers first above all. Has officiated in 15 states and 11 countries. Has refereed 17 world titles, 47 international fights, and 35 different world champions including main events on HBO, SHOWTIME, NBC, ESPN, USA, and par-per-view. Over 900 fights in over 33 years.

The BKBHOF induction date this year is Saturday, July 7, 2018.

BARE KNUCKLE BOXING HALL OF FAME
Scott R. Burt, President
Belfast, New York
srburt@aol.com

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No Dance Tonight: The Bizarre Cancellation of the BKB Championship Fight

Last year there were numerous false starts getting a bare knuckle boxing championship event off the ground. But none of them failed in as spectacular a fashion as the one that was supposed to have taken place today.

Champion Bobby Gunn and challenger Shannon Ritch have been set to square off in a BKB championship for over a year and a half. But one disappointment after another kept them from meeting. Finally, it seemed frustration had set in to such an extent they decided to just go ahead and do an event on their own. Nobody’s getting any younger and it seemed like it was now or never.

On October 20th, Shannon reported he’d formally challenged Bobby and that Bobby had accepted. On the 23rd, Shannon posted a video in which he stated “I want to test myself against the best. I know you’re the best. I will come to anyplace you say. You name the time and place. I will be there.” Bobby replied the same day, telling Shannon “You’ve already acknowledged when you challenge a man you have to go over to where that man is. Very soon you’ll be getting a time and location.”

The next day Bobby named the date as November 17th. He also referred to Canada as being the general location, though later it became clear an exact location remained very much up in the air. Still, on October 30th, Bobby announced the fight would be available by pay-per-view through streamingvideoprovider.com, a do-it-yourself service. This was to be a no-frills match, the meeting of two battlers who were done with waiting for complexities to be worked out and just wanted to settle who was the best.

So far, so good. But then, in one big hurry, the whole thing went so far south it’s probably at the tomb of Captain Robert Scott by now. In the late night of November 7th, Shannon’s camp suddenly announced Bobby had backed out. Shannon explained that on November 6th they’d presented Bobby with a contract involving a pay-per-view company that Shannon’s camp had come up with. Bobby would later say he did not expect a move like this and that he had serious reservations with the details of the contract anyway. For example, one provision states “ST7, LLC [the pay-per-view company] will have an exclusive two-year rights, with an option for additional years (1-1-1-), for any worldwide Bare Knuckle Boxing live streaming event opportunities….” Bobby hesitated at being tied to anything for at least two years when they’d originally discussed just getting together as men to settle who was champion and leaving it at that. He also was concerned the contract did not name a venue, city or country where the event was to take place.

Then, less than 48 hours after Bobby saw the contract and refused to sign it as written, Shannon’s camp said they were done negotiating and the fight was off. We asked Shannon about postponing the date and getting everyone back to the table in a relaxed manner. After all, it takes more than two days to hammer out the details of a contract involving so many parties (four altogether, two companies and two individuals), exclusive rights, and potentially large amounts of money. But Shannon replied by saying “Nope done with this guy.” So a grand total of 18 days elapsed between the announcement & acceptance of the challenge and when efforts to make the fight happen were called off.

Something seemed a little funny with the way everything had played out. Bobby’s head liaison with the Shannon Ritch camp was long-time associate Joe McEwen, more commonly known as Joe Mack. Joe had carried out the bulk of the negotiations on behalf of Bobby. But strangely, the moment negotiations broke down Joe went publicly on Twitter complaining that Bobby had backed out of the fight, adding the hashtag #EXPOSED. In the same post was a screen shot of a communication from Shannon to British boxing promotion UBBAD apologizing to them for trusting Bobby. Later, Bobby posted information that suggested Joe had thrown his allegiance over to UBBAD this past summer, and the November 17th event had actually been an effort by Joe to financially entangle Bobby with UBBAD, discredit him, or both.

As the two camps continue to threaten each other and accuse the other of backing out, one thing is for sure. As of now, there is no fight between Bobby Gunn and Shannon Ritch, and it doesn’t look like there ever will be.

Update: Joe Mack responded to our story by saying there’s no truth to the accusation of collusion with UBBAD, calling Bobby’s information a “conspiracy theory.” He also assured us the contract they offered Bobby was for a legitimate, legal event and he saw no good reason for Bobby to reject it.

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The Police Gazette as Premier BKB Sanctioning Body: How It Began

In June 1880, Paddy Ryan defeated Joe Goss in West Virginia in a bare-knuckle fight and claimed the championship of America. But, prize fighting being illegal, there was no respected organization that could officially sanction this claim. So uncertainty about who was the American champion remained. John L. Sullivan then challenged Ryan, but Ryan did not immediately accept. He said West Virginia authorities were hunting him for participating in a prize fight and, besides, Sullivan had yet to post a forfeit. Enter Richard K. Fox and the National Police Gazette.

Fox offered to sanction and facilitate a match between Ryan and Sullivan. The April 16, 1881, issue of the Police Gazette explains: “To settle this matter, Richard K. Fox, proprietor of the POLICE GAZETTE, offers to match Sullivan, the Boston giant, to fight Paddy Ryan at catchweight, according to the new rules of the London prize ring, for $1,000 a side and the heavy-weight championship of America. He will also offer a champion belt—fac simile of the belt Heenan and Sayers fought for—to the winner. The trophy is to represent the championship of America, and the winner of the belt will have to defend the trophy, according to the rules that governed the champion belt of England. All matches for the belt to be made at the POLICE GAZETTE office, and Richard K. Fox is to be final stakeholder in all matches and to select a referee…. Richard K. Fox means business, and is eager and anxious to find out who is the champion pugilist of America.”

The same article also suggested the fight—and Ryan’s training camp—could be in Canada, so Ryan could avoid his legal problems. But when the fight did take place in February 1882, it was in rural Mississippi, though still illegal. John L. Sullivan won and the Police Gazette declared him American champion of all boxing. And thus began the Gazette‘s position as not just a sports magazine, but the premier boxing—as well as bare-knuckle boxing—sanctioning organization in America, later the world. The belt Fox had produced was made from 12.5 pounds of solid silver and gold with eight diamonds, including two in the eyes of a fox head. It remained the emblem of world boxing champions, both bare knuckle and gloved, until after the turn of the 20th century.

When gloved boxing became legal in 1892, the Police Gazette suspended the use of its championship belts as representing bare-knuckle (BKB) champions. Now, with BKB making a comeback, it was natural for us to reinstate the Police Gazette belt as the signifier of world BKB champions since the last time there was an official BKB world champion it was the Police Gazette that bestowed the title. In February 2016, we passed the management of this title to Scott Burt of the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame in recognition of his immersion in the subject and the singular work he’s done in the field.

The new Police Gazette bare-knuckle champion belt, produced by the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame, will be fought for November 17th between champion Bobby Gunn and challenger Shannon Ritch—the first time since July 1889 the Police Gazette heavyweight belt will be bestowed following a BKB match. Welcome back!

The Police Gazette world-champion belt makes an appearance in the November 1, 1884, issue.

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Police Gazette Bare-Knuckle Champion Belt To Be Defended November 17th!

(See updates below the main article.)

Did a Simple Police Gazette Tweet Trigger the First BKB Title Defense in 128 Years?

World bare knuckle boxing champion Bobby Gunn will defend his title against challenger Shannon Ritch on November 17th in Canada. Access through Pay-per-view is planned.

After a series of disappointments over the past two years, it appears a match has finally been set and the Police Gazette championship belt for bare-knuckle boxing will be contested for the first time since 1889. The Police Gazette has authorized the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame to administer the belt, and BKBHOF president Scott Burt said Monday in a video statement, “It can’t be a world-title fight unless the Holy Grail of all belts is on the line. We are going to put a big emphasis, a great big mark on this fight between Shannon Ritch and Bobby Gunn.”

So how did things come together so quickly after so much frustration in recent years? Chalk it up to two fighters who are just sick of waiting. But the spark seems to have been a routine tweet by the Police Gazette on October 20th. In it we posted a picture of the “Police Gazette Heavy-Weight Champion Prize Ring Belt of the World” as it appeared in 1894. Shannon Ritch, inspired to action by the image, later replied to our tweet and reported, “I have challenged Bobby Gunn to defend his bare knuckle title / he has accepted!! Waiting on venue and date! But it’s going to happen.” We quickly replied to Shannon, saying “We fully approve this match-up. The sooner the better!”

Three days later, activity heated up. On Monday morning Shannon issued a video challenge to Bobby Gunn in which he said “I want to test myself against the best. I know you’re the best. I will come to any place you say. You name the time and place. I will be there. Let’s get on this. Let’s toe the line.” That afternoon Bobby replied with a video of his own. He said “Fair play to you. You’ve already acknowledged when you challenge a man you have to go over to where that man is. Very soon you’ll be getting a time and location. I welcome your challenge with arms wide open, pal. You’re gonna get it, Shannon Ritch. You got the fight, pal. Let’s get it on now.” Later that day Bobby revealed a bit more regarding the date. “In about 1 month we will rock and roll.”

The exact rules will still need to be agreed upon. London Prize Ring rules, under which John L. Sullivan fought, allow stand-up grappling and throwing, though no attacking when a man is down and no striking with anything other than bare fists. But bare knuckle fighting in recent years has generally been closer to standard modern boxing, just without any hand coverings. The hands have to be completely bare.

On Tuesday evening, Bobby announced the fight will take place “in Canada on native land November 17th private invite-only non-disclosure event that will be streamed on Pay-per-view.” He added it would be “real BKB no hand wraps.” On Wednesday morning Shannon asked the Police Gazette “Are you on board with the fight between Gunn and myself? Will the Police Gazette sanction the title?” To which we replied “We’d approve this match if you fought underwater, as long as NO HAND COVERINGS. The rest is up to Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame.”

For his part, Scott Burt of the BKBHOF stated on Tuesday, “belt only on line if legal.” Last night Scott confirmed his position, saying he’s “just waiting to hear exact location so as to confirm it’s legality as it was when passed it to Gunn as a result of his 2011 fight.” On August 5, 2011, the Yavapai Nation just outside Scottsdale, Arizona, sanctioned a bare-knuckle bout between Bobby Gunn and Richard Stewart under the laws of the Nation. Bobby emerged the victor and claimed the bare-knuckle world championship. In 2014, the BKBHOF under Scott Burt sanctioned this claim by presenting Bobby with their championship belt. In February 2016, the Police Gazette under current publisher Steven Westlake authorized the BKBHOF belt as representing the Police Gazette championship, thus ending a nearly 124-year suspension of the Police Gazette belt signifying world bare knuckle champions. As the Police Gazette was the last organization to officially sanction world bare knuckle championships, this made Bobby Gunn the lineal BKB champion after John L. Sullivan. And now Shannon Ritch wants that title.

Shannon is confident everything is in order. Yesterday afternoon he reported “Big things cooking / just finished interview with Stayton Bonner with Rolling Stone Magazine! The super Fight is on!!” Watch for updates here as they develop.

Today’s Police Gazette and BKBHOF world-championship belt in bare knuckle boxing.

UPDATE 10/31: Bobby Gunn has announced Pay-per-view arrangements for the BKB world championship event on November 17th. The price is $9.99 before the date of the event. Those wishing to reserve theirs can go here.

UPDATE 10/29: Tempers are already flaring in the run-up to the November 17th super fight for the bare knuckle boxing world championship. On Friday challenger Shannon Ritch taunted champion Bobby Gunn, saying “enough talk – bobby just show up !man to man! You better not duck me!” To which Bobby replied “My pal, you can say all the insults you want I promise you as sure as the sun rises tomorrow morning you’re going to get what you ask for.” Shannon retorted “You better show up! No excuses! 100% healthy or injured you better show up.” But Shannon wasn’t done. He next turned his ire to Scott Burt and the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame, which controls the issuance of the Police Gazette championship belt, the belt that signifies the lineal BKB champion after John L. Sullivan. Scott has said the fight needs to be considered legal in the jurisdiction in which it occurs. Shannon reacted to this uncertainty by first stating “I want the Victory! The win means more than a cheap belt!” But then got more personal, saying “So funny when someone thinks they are bigger than they are (Scott Burt) make me laugh! I’ve fought all over the world. Your organization (BKBHOF) is made up.” Scott replied with “No matter BKBHOF or Police Gazette agrees or disagrees w/folks opinions, we ALWAYS show respect. #Class.” Shannon then proceeded to argue his case over legality and the rules. “Guess if it’s on Indian reservation that will make it legal. Although John L Sullivan’s fights were illegal – hmmm.” And “Yes all john l Sullivan fights were illegal.. lol at BKBHOF.” Regarding the rules, Shannon pointed out that Sullivan’s BKB fights included stand-up grappling. “BKBHOF, your all about Sullivan! All his fights were grappling and boxing – R we going to have same rules? That’s right up my alley!” Scott has already announced the fight will be regular stand-up boxing with no wraps or coverings of any kind on the hands or arms. And there will be no rounds. But grappling is not included.

From our perspective, Shannon is correct that all of John L. Sullivan’s BKB fights were illegal at the time they took place and that they included stand-up grappling and throwing. As for the legality, when gloved boxing became legal in 1892, the Police Gazette suspended the use of its championship belt as representing BKB champions, and continued it as the emblem of gloved champions. Now, with BKB making a comeback, it was natural for us to reinstate the Police Gazette belt as the signifier of world BKB champions since the last time there was an official BKB world champion it was the Police Gazette that bestowed the title. Last year, we passed the management of this title to Scott Burt of the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame in recognition of his immersion in the subject and the singular work he’s done in the field. The Police Gazette is many things, boxing being one of them. Outsourcing the boxing aspect to someone who is focused on that one thing will end up being better for everyone in the long run. We want to see action. And as we’ve already said to Shannon, the Police Gazette doesn’t care if you guys want to fight under water. But it would be better for the sport in the long run to have things be reasonably legal. As of today, Scott has received assurances and has no knowledge that the fight will NOT be legal. So as of now, all systems are go for the belt to be bestowed. As for the rules, our position is that the rules are whatever the two camps agree on as long as the fighting is stand up and there are no hand coverings of any kind.

UPDATE 10/27: Scott Burt announced the ground rules for the bout. It will be “A stand-up, toe-to-toe fight. Bare knuckle; not a speck of tape from your shoulder to the tip of your fingers. No rounds, unless there is TV viewing involved. Then we will alter the rules.” See his full video statement here.

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Police Gazette Movie Review: Papillon (2017)

Police Gazette publisher Steve Westlake just got back from TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) where he attended the world premiere of Papillon, the new action/adventure film starring Charlie Hunnam, pictured below with Mr. Westlake.

Since pretty much all prison dramas, by their nature, are set in one location, “epic” is not normally a word you would attach to them. Even The Shawshank Redemption, which spanned a long period of time, was constrained by space to such a degree it could not have the grandness of scale one thinks of when using the word. But if there is such a thing as an “epic prison drama,” Papillon is it.

This story, based on the real-life memoirs of Henri Charrière, spans a long period of time, but also encompasses multiple locations in two hemispheres, as well as numerous escape attempts. There’s an epic “feel” to the story that’s just not possible in other prison dramas.

In the story’s telling, Danish director Michael Noer has pulled together such wonderful set pieces, I think it’s possible this movie gets Oscar nominations for production design, cinematography and costume design, not to mention sound mixing, which is top notch and provides icing on the cake for the already excellently choreographed fight scenes. For acting, Charlie Hunnam and Rami Malek give fine performances, but the real find here for American audiences is Roland Møller who is transfixing as Papillon’s escape-colleague Celier.

This movie is endlessly being compared to the first adaptation of Henri Charrière’s memoirs. Some comparisons are maybe interesting and some maybe unfair. But that movie came out 44 years ago. In the end, 90% of the actual ticket-buying audience will never have heard of the original Papillon, let alone seen it. So the new one really needs to be judged on its own merits.

On that note, some have criticized the portrayal of jazz-age Paris as overly idyllic, a fantasy that never actually existed. I happen to love this approach. The depiction of a colorful, noisy, vibrant Paris provides the perfect contrast to the bleakness to come and gives it a dream-like quality that you can image Papillon sees in his sleep during his most desperate moments.

One minor criticism I might have of Papillon’s character development might be it’s never made clear exactly what motivates him to endure the years of solitary confinement and the other horrors. What gives him the strength to carry on and remain sane? This is only a minor concern since it’s easy to chalk it all up to pure pride and ego. From the beginning, Papillon is portrayed as selfish and self centered, someone who believes he’s smarter, stronger, and better than others, particularly his jailers. He’s the type who will survive with his wits intact just so he can spite the warden—played by Yorick van Wageningen—and anyone who thinks they have him beaten.

This personality trait is also at the heart of Papillon’s most important character arc. In the beginning he is only looking out for himself, using others to get what he wants. But this changes during the course of his relationship with Louis Dega (Malek). Papillon starts by using Dega only for his money. But as the movie progresses, Papillon more and more often risks his own personal well-being coming to Dega’s aid. This, even more than the escape itself, is the core of the story.

The movie, as a movie, also contains a sort of arc of quality that parallels Papillon’s arc of conscience. It starts out with what some might call a touch of superficiality and cliché in the writing and performances. But perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not, all aspects of the filmmaking rise in quality as Papillon’s character and affection for Dega develop. There is a fight scene in the shower—one of the perfectly rendered fight sequences—and it feels as though everything from that point forward enters a higher level of expertise. Acting, dialogue, pacing, depth of feeling all kick up a notch. So a superficial person finds his depth and connection as a superficial movie does the same? A bit too metafictive? Okay, moving on.

A word about blood and guts. As I already mentioned, the fight scenes are very well done and even include one with a fairly graphic disemboweling. But, this being set in the French culture, you can’t have a complete violence profile without a good guillotine scene, and this movie provides a corker.

On a serious note, in the question-and-answer segment following the screening I saw at the Toronto International Film Festival, star Charlie Hunnam was asked if he thought the depiction of solitary confinement in the movie was relevant in today’s American society. Hunnam replied they had thought about that during production, and they hope the studies and debate about that method’s use today will continue to a sane resolution. Not all of us are Papillon.

There’s a lot to think about with this new telling of the Papillon story, and the more you think about it, the more this movie will grow on you.

Rating: 4 1/2 Police Gazette medals

Movie-Review Rating Explanation
Five Police Gazette medals: You will think of this movie every day for the rest of your life.
Four medals: A well-crafted work of art.
Three medals: Some parts don’t work, but gets the job done.
Two medals: Garbage in, garbage out; bad approach executed with technical skill.
One medal: Don’t see. It’ll make you want to die, and assisted suicide is illegal.

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The Police Gazette Line™: Trump Edition

Back in May we posted an article explaining how Donald Trump is eager to be impeached and removed from office. We wrote, “Trump the performance artist continues. In fact, he is the Andy Kaufman of presidents. And any minute the audience is going to become so frustrated and outraged, he will have to be escorted off stage with security protection.” In recent days, he’s shown he’s eager to accelerate that process. At this rate, a fast-track impeachment or a resignation in a huff will happen sooner rather than later. So with that in mind, we are bringing back our Police Gazette Line™ betting odds exclusively for this situation.

As of August 16th, we calculated a statistical impossibility that Trump will be president on March 4, 2018—considering a 1-in-100,000 chance a virtual impossibility. So our odds cover each week until then. We will update only if something happens we feel significantly changes the odds.

The second column shows the odds Trump will still be president on that date. Considering the original posted odds on August 16th, any day Trump is president past December 2nd is a victory for Trump supporters!

Week of:
08/20/17   99:1
08/27/17   92:1
09/03/17   85:1
09/10/17   78:1
09/17/17   71:1
09/24/17   64:1
10/01/17   57:1
10/08/17   50:1
10/15/17   43:1
10/22/17   36:1
10/29/17   29:1
11/05/17   22:1
11/12/17   15:1
11/19/17   8:1
11/26/17   1:1
12/03/17   1:4
12/10/17   1:9
12/17/17   1:24
12/24/17   1:54
12/31/17   1:299
01/07/18   1:999
01/14/18   1:2,499
01/21/18   1:4,999
01/28/18   1:7,499
02/04/18   1:9,999
02/11/18   1:29,999
02/18/18   1:49,999
02/25/18   1:74,999
03/04/18   1:99,999

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The Police Gazette Top 5 Most Underrated Beatles Songs

Will Not Find Our No. 1 on Any Other List.

Various publications have floated lists of the most underrated Beatles songs. But strangely, they all miss the most obvious choice. Part of the problem may lie in their definition of “underrated.” To us the term refers to the breadth of the gap between public opinion and the song’s actual quality. So a song need not be great. It just needs to be a lot better than people think. With that, here are the Police Gazette five most underrated Beatle songs of all time:

5. “Within You Without You”

This is a fairly well-regarded (though not universally) George Harrison composition from the Sgt Pepper album. Its status as underrated comes mainly from two things: 1) It completely revolutionized Western popular music. Harrison used exclusively Indian instruments, Indian musical styles, and lyrics with Eastern-religion themes, but pulled in just enough familiar Western constructions to make it palatable. It was the first time anything like that had been done in pop music and opened the flood gates to the incorporation of World music into Western pop. 2) Harrison did all this without embarrassing himself. It’s a high-wire act that a lesser talent would have stumbled on.

4. “You Can’t Do That”

This one has suffered, perhaps, from its mildly misogynistic lyrics. But that aside, it is the Beatles’ best example of a “cow bell” song—“Drive My Car” notwithstanding. And everyone loves cow-bell songs. So since it’s the Beatles doing it, therefore, it has to be great. There are versions of this song without any cowbell, but they didn’t need Christopher Walken to tell them to put it in. Nothing got past these guys.

3. “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey”

This song from the “White Album” finds John Lennon entering the phase where half his efforts feel like throwaways. Except, since it’s Lennon, nothing is a throwaway. There’s so much going on here, we can’t discuss it all. Suffice to say Lennon invents punk rock with this song, yet it still lends itself to becoming a killer New Orleans boogie when covered by Fats Domino. Unbelievable.

2. “It’s All Too Much”

George Harrison was clearly a secondary song-writing talent within the Beatles (he was the Tony Lazzeri to Lennon and McCartney’s Gehrig and Ruth). But every once in a while he could come up with one that was an unquestionable equal to the big guys’. “Something” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” come to mind. Somehow, though, “It’s All Too Much” regularly slips through the cracks when considering George’s AAA-rated contributions. The song is a soaring anthem that never loses steam, raising tension and energy to a level it never relinquishes. But it still has room for folksy lyrics like “Show me that I’m everywhere, but get me home for tea.” An all-time classic.

1. “Hold Me Tight”

The most underrated Beatles song of all time achieves its distinction through a combination of its being consistently at or near the bottom of most people’s rankings of the Beatle oeuvre and the fact that if you only gave it a chance, you’d find it’s actually perfectly crafted and doing exactly what the Beatles intended it to do: It’s a giant ball of gooey fun that still really rocks. One Beatle scholar has posited that EVERY Beatle song contains some sort of intentional goof or in-joke. To us, “Hold Me Tight” represents the purest musical form of that theory. Relax and give this song a few careful listens. If you still hate it, then you probably also hate fun, the Beatles, and music in general.

Muhammad Ali and the Beatles meet as both were on the verge of taking over the world. After this photo shoot, Ali called the Beatles “sissies.” Very talented sissies.