Barrie Jones proves bare-knuckle boxing is a different animal
Bare-knuckle boxer Barrie Jones started in traditional boxing, but his recent success proves that the two are truly different fighting forms.
Bare-knuckle boxing and traditional boxing seem similar but are two completely different sports. Yes, they center around throwing punches, but success in one field doesn’t guarantee victory in the other. Barrie Jones has done both but is quickly becoming a bare-knuckle force.
Not to be confused with former super featherweight champion Barry Jones, Jones started his career in combat as a boxer in 2004. ‘The Welsh Wrecking Machine’ had a hot start in professional boxing, winning his first 15 bouts but started to accrue multiple losses as he stepped up in completion.
Jones ended his boxing career in 2015 with a record of 22-10, with 9 knockout victories. He won more than he lost, but Jones didn’t have the kind of career that would lead to riches in the boxing ring. He got to the point where he lost his drive as a boxer.
“After I lost one or two fights, I really lost a lot of interest,” Jones told FanSided. “Mainly in the last couple of fights, I was just fighting for the money. So I lost interest. That’s why I finished because I was losing to boys I should have beaten. I wasn’t training as hard.”
Barrie Jones blitzed through Luiz Melo at BYB 8 in 15 seconds and could be the best bare-knuckle light heavyweight in the world
Jones was out of boxing, but his fighting spirit was still intact. Even though he was no longer a prizefighter, Jones still trained from time to time. Maybe it was to stay in shape, or perhaps destiny had something to do with it. As they say, once a fighter, always a fighter.
Over the last several years, bare-knuckle boxing has been on the rise. Once deemed an illegal activity, multiple municipalities over the globe have loosened restrictions to license the sport. Many of its participants are former boxers and MMA fighters looking for a second act. At times, the sport finds them when they least expect it.
“I wasn’t interested in boxing anymore,” said Jones. “I had fallen out of love with it, so I finished. I still trained, you know, now and again, but and then this opportunity came to fight bare-knuckle. And to be honest, I didn’t really know a lot about it, but I got in touch with a few people, and before I knew it, I signed up for it.”
Just like that, Jones found his way back into combat sports. If he had lost his first bare-knuckle contest in 2018, then maybe he would have called it quits as a fighter altogether, but that didn’t happen.
Instead, Jones stopped his opponent in round 1. He did the same with his second opponent and flourished with his bare hands. Today, Jones is 6-0, with 6 KOs in bare-knuckle boxing. He fought in the U.S. for the first time in December for BYB Extreme Bare Knuckle fighting. It took him 15 seconds to stop Luiz Melo at the James Knight Convention Center in Miami, FL.
The above-average boxer is now a world-class champion bare-knuckle boxer.
“To be honest, I think I’m more aggressive in this than I was when I was boxing,” explained Jones. “When I was boxing, I was a bit more relaxed because it’s longer rounds. And you know, you could be doing 10 three-minute rounds, so currently you fight at that kind of pace, but with this shorter rounds, you know, it’s easier to go all out really.”
Everybody has their strengths and weaknesses. Jones was fortunate to find out that ungloved combat in a shorter duration benefited his skillset more than professional boxing. He has found his niche.
Jones had a 28 percent KO rating as a light heavyweight boxer, but he is 100 percent as a bare-knuckle boxer. He has taken the bare-knuckle world by storm, and the chiseled Welshman looks like he’s just getting started.