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Sign up todayBare Knuckle
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Father. Fighter. Champion. Outlaw.
Hailed as an “exhilarating debut” by Publishers Weekly, Bare Knuckle by former Rolling Stone editor Stayton Bonner (nominated for the Dan Jenkins Medal of Excellence in Sportswriting) takes readers into a previously unknown world: the underground circuit of illegal bare-knuckle fighting.
Bare Knuckle is the remarkable true tale of Bobby Gunn, the 73–0 undisputed champion of bare-knuckle boxing.
An inspiring underdog story that reads like a real-life Rocky.
Bobby Gunn has been fighting for his existence since a childhood spent living under the hand of his volatile father, and would do anything to give his seven-year-old daughter a better life—including betting on himself in the underground world of bare-knuckle boxing.
In 1984, Gunn was an eleven-year-old boxer in Ontario when his father woke him in the middle of the night to fight grown men in motel parking lots for money, his old man pocketing the cash. From there, Gunn traveled to Las Vegas, Tijuana, and beyond, competing in ringed matches as well as in biker bars and mobster dens on the side, brawling to make ends meet.
But it was only with the birth of his daughter—and his desire to help her avoid his fate—that Gunn entered the big-time world of underground Russian-mob matches of up to $50,000 a night in New York City, hoping to finally raise his family above the fray.
Former Rolling Stone editor Stayton Bonner travels the underground for years with Gunn, the world champion of bare-knuckle boxing with a 73–0 record, shining a light on a secret circuit that’s never before been revealed. Along the way, we explore the fascinating history of this first sport in America, Gunn’s Irish Traveler community—a sect of religious fighters best known through Brad Pitt’s depiction in Snatch—as well as his part in the improbable rise of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, the first legal revival of the sport.
Bare Knuckle, a tale of triumph, loss, and a father’s love for his family, is a heartbreaking but ultimately inspiring story that will have you rooting until the end.
Stayton Bonner is a former senior editor at Rolling Stone. Nominated for the Dan Jenkins Medal for Excellence in Sportswriting, his journalism has appeared in publications including GQ, Esquire, and Outside. This is his first book.
Ari Fliakos is an actor with experience in television, radio, film, theater, and voice-overs. He has earned four Earphones Awards, and his narration of Seth Patrick’s Reviver won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration for paranormal fiction. On screen, he is best-known for his roles in Law & Order, Pills, and Company K.
Reviews
“Compelling stories of persevering through a hardscrabble upbringing and the adversities of a hard-knock life.”
“Yes, this is a knockout of a book. But it’s also an exercise in nuance and grace and slick maneuvering. Inasmuch as bare-knuckle fights go to the judges’ scorecards, this gets a unanimous decision.”
“A remarkable story of triumph and heartbreak.”
“In this exhilarating debut, former Rolling Stone editor Bonner follows the riveting life of Bobby Gunn…usher[ing] readers into the lurid and fascinating world of illegal underground bare-knuckle fighting…Throughout, Gunn’s character—a gritty, endearingly avuncular figure—and his ambition to legalize the sport…lends pathos to the sensational subculture he exists within. Boxing fans won’t want to miss this.”
“As told in Bare Knuckle…Feldman and Bobby Gunn, the champion of bare knuckle, have waged an epic battle to make it mainstream—overcoming abusive childhoods to resurrect the sport and transform the lives of their families.”
“[Gunn] is the best maybe there ever was…In a tough story that you can only imagine, you’d think I made it up. When you read it in the book you’re not gonna believe it, but it all happened.”
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