Latest news with #bareknucklefighting
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- Health
- News.com.au
WA Sports Minister Rota Saffioti will not overrule bare knuckle boxing competition amid health concerns
The West Australian government has been warned by concerned health advocates that it will be responsible for any deaths if a bare knuckle fighting event goes ahead in Perth. WA Sports Minister Rita Saffioti has declared she will not intervene to stop the Promotion Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship from coming Down Under if it's given the all clear from the state's Combat Sports Commission (CSC). 'The event has to be sanctioned by the Combat Sports Commission … there's two stages of this,' she said. 'This was the first, whether the sport can be allowed in the state, and that was something that has been signed off by the previous minister. 'And then there's the actual event … what the proponents have to do is put forward to the CSC what is involved and then the commission either approves or doesn't approve it.' Ms Saffioti said she was aware that although not everyone enjoyed combat sports, it was more important to ensure the sport could be regulated. 'If you don't regulate, then things go underground and it's much less safe for the competitors,' she told Perth Today's Simon Beaumont. 'It's not my cup of tea, but similar to the discussion and the debate around cage fighting or the octagon, MMA and UFC, similar arguments were put forward … but all I can do is take the advice of the board and the team that's been appointed to give me this advice. 'I take the advice of the Combat Sports Commission seriously. They've gone in, they've created some additional regulations in relation to safety.' 'As I said, it's now up to the promoter of the event to make sure they satisfy all the regulations and rules that the Combat Sport Commission have put in place.' Regulations imposed include the presence of medical practitioners onsite and ringside. 'The advice is that they believe with the level of regulations they've imposed that it can be undertaken safely in WA,' Ms Saffioti said. Health advocates warn that a death during the event will leave the state government with bloody hands. In 2021, American bare knuckle fighter Justin Thornton died in hospital more than six weeks after suffering a horrific knockout. Just 38, Thornton collapsed after taking several vicious blows to the head and face during the first round of a championship fixture in Mississippi. His injuries left him partially paralysed, requiring assistance breathing, and he suffered an infection in his lungs and spinal cord. Australia Medical Association WA president Michael Page told 7News that the government was only 'taking the advice that they want to take'. 'They're not taking any advice from society, they're not taking advice from us, they're not taking any advice from anyone in our community,' he said. 'Our government has the ability to stop this from happening and if there is a death during the event then of course that falls at the feet of our government that's made this decision.' The event, pending approval, is set to go ahead on July 19.
ABC News
4 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Proposed bare-knuckle boxing match in Perth sparks debate
The WA Combat Sports Commission says it has received a preliminary application to hold a bare-knuckle fight in Perth, understood to be planned for July. The commission, part of the Department of Local Government, Sport and Creative Industries, has responsibility for the regulation of all so-called combat sports, including boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts. Chair of the commission, former WA health minister Bob Kucera, told Nadia Mitsopoulos on ABC Radio Perth the commission first received an application for bare-knuckle fighting to be approved as a contact sport about six months ago. He said the commission subsequently developed a set of rules fight promoters would have to comply with. "In conjunction with … the combat sports industry, we put together a set of rules which went up to the previous [sports] minister, Minister Templeman, for approval," he said. "They were approved. He said permits had to comply with this particular set of rules. "The rules here are very different to the other [combat] sports because in this particular discipline … they don't have any padding on their hands," he said. "And the only strikes that are allowed are with the hands. The commission has received its first application, which Mr Kucera said would be scrutinised. He said a raft of rules would apply if the application was approved. They included requiring participants to have a minimum of seven years of fighting and 10 professional bouts behind them. Two doctors must be present at the ringside and if a boxer is knocked down, the bout must stop. He said boxers would also have to have serology tests to make sure they had no bloodborne diseases, and must get clearance from a doctor if there was any history of concussion. Mr Kucera said he understood many would regard the idea of bare-knuckle fighting with distaste, but he believed it was better for the government to regulate the practice rather than banning it outright. "In countries where they've said, 'we're going to ban this kind of thing', what happens is it goes underground, and then you have no control at all over it," he said. "If indeed it is approved, it is highly controlled. "And the level of injuries we see in these things are probably less than what you get on the football field, because these people defend themselves." Premier Roger Cook said that while the sport was not his "cup of tea", he agreed it was better to regulate the events. "It's important that the Combat Sports Commission can make sure that we don't drive combat sports underground," Mr Cook said. Numerous members of the community have slammed the idea, including WA president of the Australian Medical Association, Michael Page. "We know that any sport that involves repetitive knocks to the head — and this is quite clearly that — puts people at risk of not only acute concussion and acute brain injury, but also chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is where people, years after they've been involved in these sports, progressively develop personality changes, memory difficulties and dementia." Nationals WA deputy leader Peter Rundle also objected to the WA government approving such an event. "The premier and the government seem to be sanctioning and normalising that violence." Callers to ABC Radio Perth also objected. "This is beyond insane," caller Branko said. "Look at the rates of domestic violence, and I would probably not accept any nonsense about this not having any influence on boys. It does." Caller Sheila said she was "absolutely appalled". "We are rightly spending millions on domestic violence," she said. "We are trying to educate our children that violence is not the right way, and then the government subsidise this bare-knuckle fighting." But caller Alex was a supporter. "If you want to hop in a ring and hurt yourself, why not? We're not a nanny state."
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Former boxing world champion Hannah Rankin apologises to backers for 'bad financial decisions' leading to debts... Scot also reveals she's called in the police due to 'blackmail' threats
Hannah Rankin's career is in crisis over 'bad financial decisions' - with the former boxing world champion revealing she has also called in the police following 'blackmail' threats. The 34-year-old - who became the first female Scot to win the WBA and IBA Super-Featherweight world titles - has admitted to Mail Sport that she had made some poor choices in terms of finance, leading to her owing substantial sums of money to a number of investors. However, Rankin also insisted that she had been 'subject to an ongoing campaign of harassment, threats and blackmail' and that it was now a police matter. The fighter - who has voluntarily relinquished her boxing license - has recently moved into the world of bare knuckle fighting and saw her first match in this discipline take place in October last year. Rankin told Mail Sport: 'I have been subject to an ongoing campaign of harassment, threats and blackmail for quite some time now and this is an ongoing police investigation 'Because of this, some bad financial decisions have been made. To those it has affected, I apologise. To those that are legitimately owed money, this will all be paid back in full. 'I will not be making any further comment on this, or anything linked to this due to the ongoing investigation. 'For those that are aware of what is going on, I thank you for your continued support and, for those that have reached out, again it means the world and I thank you.' Rankin has recently been recuperating from her bout against Jessica Borga in the BKFC in Dubai, after being KO'd in just 32 seconds. The match was supposed to be a day of reckoning for the Scot, who won her previous bare-knuckle fight against German Deborah Melhorn. Mail Sport has spoken with multiple sources - none of whom said they had been contacted by the police - who claim she has failed to honour financial commitments. Tom Varley, CEO of Fight Africa, claimed to Mail Sport that he lent Rankin more than £30,000 after befriending the fighter and her manager Noel Callan. He further claimed that their contract stipulated the money be repaid within 15 days, but Varley insists he has only received £4,000 of the money owed. He also said he had not been contacted regarding any police investigation. 'I had two contracts with Hannah and Noel,' he said. 'One was for £16,900, plus 10 per cent of her first BKFC purse. They said this was $150,000 including bonus. 'When the payment date came up, however, they came in with the excuse of frozen bank accounts. 'I then went to see them in Marbella and, as they were friends, I trusted them and rolled the contract - investing a further £11,000, after being told they were earning $200,000 for their title fight with Borga. 'The new contract was for £30,000 plus 15 per cent of their world title fight purse. The payment date for this was 15 business days after the fight. This hasn't come around yet.' When Mail Sport put Varley's claims to Rankin, she said she had 'nothing further to add' and referred back to her original statement. Investing in athletes such as Rankin is not an uncommon practice in the world of boxing and BKFC. Fighters will often get help for camps, training, accommodation and living costs - with loans repaid once fights have been completed. In Rankin's case, however, it is claimed that multiple debts remain outstanding. Meanwhile, Team Rankin Ltd - the company under which Rankin and Callan trade - has been hit with a suspended compulsory strike-off notice by Companies House after an objection to a strike-off was received by the Registrar. Suspensions can happen if creditors object to a strike-off, if there's an ongoing or legal claim against the company, if taxes or VAT are still outstanding, or if the company haven't complied with statutory requirements.
