By: Ken Hissner
The once world cruiserweight title challenger Bobby “The Celtic Warrior” Gunn after retiring entered the Bare Knuckle Champ competition. Gunn is a special kind of a man being a devout Christian who is very personal to all but become’s a different person as he paces back and forth like a young lion ready for its kill when it comes to bare knuckle fighting.
Gunn will be 42 on Christmas Day and after a stellar amateur career defeating the likes of Mads Larsen, Syd Vanderpool and Oba Carr he decided to turn professional in 1989 and was 21-6 with 18 knockouts as a professional fighter. He was born in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada turning professional at the ripe young age of 15. “I had my first bare knuckle fight around the same time at 15. He has been a resident of Hackensack, New Jersey.
Winner of his first 8 fights with 5 by stoppage Gunn tasted his first defeat against Mexico’s Sergio Garcia who was making his debut in August of 1991 with the bout being stopped in the second round. It took Gunn 7 months and a trip to Mexico to get his revenge in Tijuana, Baja, California, Mexico in April of 1992. Garcia in the meantime had another win and a draw coming in at 2-0-1. Gunn destroyed Garcia by knockout in the first round of a scheduled 8 round bout.
In June of 1992 Gunn would again taste defeat to James Rivas, 4-3-1, of AZ by decision in AZ. Rivas had defeated Floyd Weaver a younger brother of world heavyweight champion Mike Weaver in his previous bout. Gunn would return to Mexico and score a pair of first round knockouts over Martin Lopez and Rafael Reyes.
In December of 2004 after an 11 year absence Gunn returned to the ring picking up where he left off scoring a pair of first round knockouts in Greensboro, North Carolina and Nashville, Tennessee. He was now a cruiserweight having left the super welterweight ranks. In June of 2005 Gunn stopped Jeff Holcomb, 9-3-1, in the fifth round of a scheduled 12 in Nashville, Tennessee. Gunn picked up a pair of vacant titles from the NABC All Americas and WBE.
In Gunn’s next encounter he came in at a career high 203 scoring a first round knockout. This was followed by a NC2 with Shelby Gross, 16-3, and Gunn down to 181, having Gross on the canvas in the first and Gunn down 3 times in the second. The vacant IBA title was on the line.
Returning to the ring 6 months later Gunn faced his most experienced foe in Shannon Landberg, 58-11-3, in Hayward, WI, scoring a stoppage in seven for the same vacant IBA title. “A workmanlike performance by Bobby Gunn. He steadily wore down Shannon Landberg and stopped him in round 7. What I remember most about the event was the great personality and respectful conduct of Bobby Gunn. He is truly a nice person,” said Steve Smoger (ref of the fight).
This lead to Gunn’s first world title fight against Enzo Maccarinelli, 25-1, in the UK for the latter’s WBO title getting stopped in the first round. He took a standing count and a cut on his nose caused the fight to be stopped. “For no reason they gave me a standing count,” said Gunn. Maccarinelli recently knocked out former champion Roy Jones, Jr. in Russia. Speaking of Jones, Gunn was promised a fight with him that never developed. “The only regret I have in my boxing career was not getting that fight with Roy Jones, Jr. because I know in my heart I would have knocked him out,” said Gunn.
Gunn came back just two months later scoring a pair of stoppages, a draw, and another stoppage for the vacant IBC Inter-Continental title this time in his home state in Atlantic City. Then he got his rematch with Shelby Gross, 16-4, in November of 2008. With his newest title and the vacant WBC USNBC title on the line Gunn stopped Gross in the third round.
In February of 2009 Gunn stopped Brad Gregory, 11-2, in the fourth round in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. This was for the IBA cruiserweight title. This earned Gunn another world title fight against IBF title holder Tomasz Adamek, 37-4, getting stopped between rounds by the ring physician after the fourth round. Of all the titles he fought for this was the most important one. I covered it and he fought his heart out and one tough fighter in Adamek.
“Bobby Gunn is one of the toughest guys I have ever run into and one of the most sincere guys I know in boxing. He might not have been the best boxer, but is one helluva bare knuckle boxer, never been defeated. I have been witness to several of his BKB fights. He is never afraid of a challenge, he is a true warrior and a good family man,” said Joey Eye. (top cut man, promoter and trainer)
On August 5th in 2011 Gunn knocked out Richard Stewart, of DE, in 3 rounds at the Ft. McDowell Casino, AZ, being the first official bare knuckle fight since 1889. There were 5,000 in attendance.
Gunn would return to the boxing ring after 31 months losing to former world champion James “Lights Out” Toney, 73-7-3, after sustaining a broken hand. The vacant IBU heavyweight title was on the line. Some 20 months later Gunn ended his career losing to former IBF light heavyweight champion Glen Johnson, 52-18-2 at the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, PA, over 8 rounds on December of 2013. That is when I met Gunn’s son Bobby Jr. whom he trains and manages and who turned pro at 18 last year and won all of his 5 fights in 2014. Legendary matchmaker Don Elbaum had two words pertaining to Gunn “tough guy!”
“Today the fighters do not come in the shape of people like George Chuvalo and others especially the heavyweights,” said Gunn. He’s right about that. Look at some of the opponents Muhammad Ali fought like Ken Norton and Cleveland Williams. Gunn is a special kind of a guy in a throwback sport going back over 100 years ago. When you look at some of these MMA and UFC matches you have to wonder can someone get seriously hurt. Then comes bare knuckle a sport they say usually one doesn’t take a beating because it’s usually a knockout punch ending it.
“I never lost a bare knuckle fight in my life winning 71 fights all by knockout. I’m kind of like the character Charles Bronson played in the movie Hard Times. I’ve had a very hard life and I have seen a lot of things in life everything you can imagine has basically happened to me one time or another. But I think my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has forgiven me of my experiences and given me the courage to get through the situations. I was quite a character during my 11 year hiatus from boxing. I was basically fighting in the underground bare knuckle circuit so I was never really inactive. That’s why I’m harder than coffin nails as they say. Ha Ha,” said Gunn.
Gunn was inducted into the Bare Knuckle Hall of Fame on August 1, of this year at the Belfast, NY, site being the first inductee while holding a world title. He was only the third inductee. We wish Bobby “The Celtic Warrior” and his son all the success in the world.