Jimmy Sweeney is bare-knuckle boxing’s most decorated fighter of all time.
The Irish cult hero has left a lasting legacy of destruction during his 33-fight (29-4) reign at the top of the sport.
A six-time four-weight world champion, Sweeney is one of the leading figures behind bare-knuckle boxing’s re-emergence from the underground over the last ten years.
Before promoters, Jim Freeman and Joe Smith-Brown, professionalised the sport in 2015 under their promotional banner BKBtm, bare-knuckle boxing was unsanctioned.
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Now, it is one of the fastest-growing combat sports in the world with shows staged across the globe in prestigious venues such as the O2 Arena and Madison Square Garden.
When ‘The Celtic Warrior’ got involved in bare-knuckle ten years ago, the sport was filled with what he described as ‘brawlers’ and ‘local hard men’.
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Most of the early fights resembled pub brawls but when Sweeney, a seasoned amateur pugilist, came along BKBtm’s promoters were forced to draft in higher calibre opponents just to keep up with him.
“Before me, it was a sport more or less full of brawlers and local hardmen but I’ve brought a bit of skill to it,” he told talkSPORT.com.
“If you look throughout my career I’ve been used as the guy that’s took on all the Americans, MMA fighters and pro boxers.
“Because of my style and what I’ve brought to the sport, a lot of people have taken notice because I’m not a brawler, I’m a technical fighter.
“I’ve revolutionised this game and the way it is fought. Now, it is bare-knuckle boxing with an emphasis on the boxing.”
Ex-UFC stars Cody McKenzie, Shonie Carter, Melvin Guillard and Colin Fletcher were all brought in to provide stern tests for Sweeney only to be beaten handily by the bare-knuckle icon.
Meanwhile, former boxing world title challenger Edgar Puerta and Olympian Jean Carlos Prada are also among the long list of stellar names he has bested.
In the early days, he would rarely train and loved a drink, even on the day of his fight
Recalling one of his infamous pre-fight benders, Sweeney said: “In my town [Sligo, Ireland], they had put on a boxing event, and they asked me to be a judge.
“So, I went down on the Friday and had full intentions of not drinking because I was fighting the next day in Coventry.
“But as soon as someone asked me if I wanted a drink, I said ‘Get me a bottle of Bud (Budweiser)’, before I knew it, I was drinking endless bottles of Bud judging the fight. I then ended up at a house party doing all sorts.
“So, I rushed home and jumped on a plane over to England by which time my mate back home had just woken up and saw I was fighting. I turned up black-out drunk, won the fight, knocked him out in ten seconds and got back on the beer.”
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Sweeney’s mindset changed completely when he lost his first-ever bare-knuckle fight to Ultimate Fighter contestant Julian ‘Let Me Bang’ Lane all the way back in 2017.
Up until that point, Sweeney looked virtually invincible and had won all 18 of his bare-knuckle fights. But Lane upset the apple cart, dropping Sweeney twice en route to a majority decision victory.
