JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Bare Knuckle Boxing has really become mainstream over the last few years. It’s brutal in nature and slightly different from your typical combat sports given the fact that the only protection for the participant’s hands it’s the taped wrist support.
MMA legend, Ken Shamrock’s company, Valor Bare Knuckle will be in Jacksonville, Florida this Friday, October 27th, and he has enlisted the help of former 2-division boxing champion and expert commentator, Bobby Czyz. Czyz will add a knowledgeable and credible voice to the “Bout Circle,” which is cage free and rope free.
The only thing that “Bout Circle” provides its fighters is a boundary line that forces the pundits to stay within a certain range of each other to provide nonstop action. Czyz, excited to be back giving his analysis and hopes the partnership with Valor is a long-term commitment. Czyz adds immediate credibility to any announce table he sits at.
Czyz informs Zenger News how his deal with Valor BK came about.
Zenger: How did you become a part of Valor Bare Knuckle color commentary team?
Czyz: I was staying in Florida. They were doing a documentary about a guy named Guy Casale. The people who are part of running the show here at Valor BK watched the interview and coupled with the fact that I did the broadcasting at Showtime, they thought that I was eloquent, and they liked what they saw. They made me an offer and I accepted. I love being on TV where you can connect with people. It’s going to be wonderful.
Zenger: What are your expectations for Valor BK?
Czyz: This is a precursor to what we were doing before in the early 1900’s before it kind of died out. Throughout the 1800’s, it was all bareknuckle. The stance was a little different, the posing of the arms was a little bit different, and it wasn’t quite the same as the boxers today. On top of that, it was predominantly a sport with white men in America that were doing the sport. The brothers and Hispanics weren’t even thought about at that time. It’s a very different thing. No other way to say it, I think you will see a couple of ugly fight (laughing), but I think you will see a couple of fights where people will show they have some talent. What we’re trying to do is build a brand, and the only way to build a brand is to get a good breed. To get a good breed, we have to keep reaching out to better and better fighters every time out.
Zenger: Will there be any time getting acclimated to calling fights with Seth Petruzelli, or will you guys freestyle it, and just hope the chemistry is there?
Czyz: Well, even when I worked with Steve Albert, I didn’t do too much rehearsing with them. We went through a couple of pre-set up questions that we knew we were getting. But there was only one rehearsal the day before and sometimes the day of the event. I think what’s going to happen is we will study separately, during the meetings, we will talk about the things that need to be pointed out and things we need to watch for. I think we will feed off of each other, and I don’t think it will be a problem at all.
Zenger: Given the “Bout Circle” at Valor, there is no bad seat in the house. No cage, ring ropes, anything impeding the vision of fans. How excited are you to be “Bout Circle” side calling VBK2?
Czyz: I’m excited to get back in the game. Like I said, I love connecting with fans and people. My friends are all chomping at the bit. I told them I’m going to be back on the air. One of the reasons I got fired from Showtime was because I told the truth. They told me to stop doing that (laughing). I called Nick earlier today, one of the people that is a part of the promotion, told them how some of the things that I’ve seen… there’s not a lot of exhibitions are fights that are bareknuckle that you can study. They just don’t have enough of it out there yet. So, we’re still seeing a lot of people from MMA and different disciplines of mixed martial arts land punches and the punches are there, but they really aren’t throwing punches properly. I think there will be some adjustments made by all fighters moving forward to make a mark for themselves.
Zenger: Ken Shamrock spoke very highly of you while bringing you on board. What is your relationship like with the MMA legend?
Czyz: He’s been super the whole way through. I respect the stuff he did. I watched some of the stuff he did, but I wasn’t a big mixed martial arts guy. I used to tease people about it being tough enough to master one discipline of martials arts let alone six or seven sets of martial arts. I have a ton of respect for him and what he has been able to do in his career. We get along fine. It’s almost like we have known each other forever.
Zenger: Is this a trial run for you or are you in this for the long haul?
Czyz: I don’t suspect that it’s a trial period. I’m in this for as long as they would have me. I love communicating with the people and telling them what they’re seeing and why they are seeing it. They don’t necessarily always know. They don’t know the little details that goes into training, taking punches, durability, and endurance. There are several little nuances that goes into being a fighter. It’s fun for me. I love doing it. And I plan on doing it for as long as they will have me.
Zenger: As a former 3-time boxing champion in 2 different weight classes, is it tough watching bareknuckle because it can be brutal even for the most diehard boxing fan?
Czyz: It’s not that tough for me because I have studied it. I started boxing when I was 10 years old. I finished when I was 36, so that was 26 consecutive years of getting hit and hitting. Every time you fight, it’s never the same. Your body… there are different things you adjust to. It’s never the exact same. I love the challenge of it. I love a sport where being second place is last place.
Zenger: October 27th, Jacksonville, Florida will stage the VBK2 event. Why should fans tune in or attend this event?
Czyz: The two things that sell the most since forever is, sex and violence. We’re going to have one of those for sure, and not the other, I hope (laughing). You’re going to see some raw stuff. If you are someone who is a little squeamish around blood then leave, because I cannot imagine a fight going a few rounds without someone getting cut. There is no more wrestling, grappling, or stepping out of the boundaries. They gotta go forward and fight, and that’s what you want, action.
(Additional reporting provided by Joseph Hammond)
