<p>Have you ever noticed the guy in a fighting stance on the Art of Manliness logo? That’s not just some random symbol; it’s an actual dude: John L. Sullivan, the greatest bare-knuckle boxer of the 19th century.</p><p>While most people think bare-knuckle boxing came to an end during Sullivan’s era, in fact, it never entirely went away. In his new book, <a href="https://amzn.to/3UfHIvW"><i>Bare Knuckle: Bobby Gunn, 73–0 Undefeated. A Dad. A Dream. A Fight Like You’ve Never Seen</i></a>, Stayton Bonner charts bare-knuckle boxing’s rise, fall, and resurgence, as well as the improbable story of its modern chapter’s winningest champion. Today on the show, Stayton describes bare-knuckle boxing’s incredible popularity a century ago, and why gloved boxing took its place while bare-knuckle got pushed into a shadowy, illicit underground. Stayton takes us into that secret circuit which still exists today, revealing the dark, sweaty basements and bars where modern bare-knuckle fights take place and the ancient code of honor that structures them. And Stayton introduces us to a dominant figure in that world, Bobby Gunn, an undefeated bare-knuckle fighter who combines a love of faith, family, and fighting and has helped turn bare-knuckle boxing into what is now the world’s fastest-growing combat sport.</p><h2>Resources Related to the Podcast</h2><ul><li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/behavior/manly-honor-part-i-what-is-honor/" target="_blank">AoM series on honor</a></li><li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/military/the-gentlemen-the-roughs-dr-lorien-foote/" target="_blank">AoM Podcast #41: Honor in the Civil War — The Gentlemen & The Roughs</a></li><li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/knowledge-of-men/art-of-manliness-podcast-54-the-life-of-john-l-sullivan-with-christopher-klein/">Podcast #54: The Life of John L. Sullivan</a></li><li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/behavior/podcast-111-why-men-fight-why-we-like-to-watch-with-jonathan-gottschall/" target="_blank">AoM Podcast #111: Why Men Fight & Why We Like to Watch </a></li><li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/knowledge-of-men/americas-first-popular-mens-magazine-the-national-police-gazette/" target="_blank">AoM Article: America’s First Popular Men’s Magazine — The National Police Gazette</a></li><li>Videos of Bobby Gunn<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBKHb5LStpo" target="_blank">fighting</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0tg_knga9U" target="_blank">talking</a> about bare-knuckle boxing</li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Molineaux" target="_blank">Tom Molineaux</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_L._Sullivan" target="_blank">John L. Sullivan</a></li><li><a href="https://mississippiencyclopedia.org/entries/sullivan-kilrain-fight/" target="_blank">The Sullivan-Kilrain fight</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Poole" target="_blank">William “Bill the Butcher” Poole</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQONUxMpWfw" target="_blank"><i>Gangs of New York</i> bare-knuckle fight scene</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20M_teQf-l8" target="_blank"><i>Far and Away</i> bare-knuckle fight scene</a></li></ul><h2><strong>Connect With Stayton Bonner</strong></h2><ul><li><a href="https://twitter.com/staytonbonner" target="_blank">Stayton on X</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/stayton-bonner-72884a263" target="_blank">Stayton on LinkedIn</a></li></ul><img src="https://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads/2024/04/A17LG2T7CL._SL1500_.jpg" alt="Book cover of "bare knuckle boxing" featuring a man with a clenched fist resting on his chin, text details his undefeated record and authors Stayton Bonner and Bobby Gunn." width="325" />


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The Secret World of Bare-Knuckle Boxing

The Art of Manliness