A bell rings. Two fighters charge from opposite corners, swinging. The action is fast, raw, and relentless. A fist finds a home and a contender crumples to the canvass. The crowd is on its feet, punching the air and roaring its approval.
Welcome to London’s Big Brawl. “The closest to being in a pro-fight the average man in the street is ever going to get,” says gold-suited promoter, Dave London, of his tournament, which specifically prohibits anyone who has ever boxed as an amateur, professional or for the military from getting in the ring.
The crowds love it, and if kooky outfits and crazy hair in any way predetermine a person’s success as a boxing promoter, then Don King had better watch his back. Dave, his tournament, and his gold lame shoes are destined to go far.
“This is about the average guy at home sitting watching the telly, and he sees the boxing,” says Dave. “He likes the professional boxing, but he’s not good enough, he’s not good enough for the amateur.”
So what is a frustrated armchair enthusiast to do? He could go down to his local boozer and pick a fight, or he could pay ?50 to get in the ring with another hopeful and slug it out in the hopes of finding fame, glory, and taking home a few quid.
The city champion in each of the three weight categories will walk away with ?1000. The tournament then visits 16 cities around the country, with the champions from each city going up against each other for a cool 10 grand.
There are, of course strings attached. Waivers have to be signed, physicals have to be passed, and there’s two months of training before a contestant can step into the ring. Contestants who aren’t fit or skilled enough won’t be getting into the ring. “I won’t just let them go in and fight bruv,” assures Dave. “If I do they’re going to get
hurt.”
‘Hurt’ being subjective term for former fighter Dave, who’s got more than two decades of experience on the subject. From a spectator’s vantage point, it looks like there’s truckloads of hurtin’ goin’ on.
The atmosphere at the fights is electric. “Listen, people like to see a tear up,” explains Dave. This is no lie, as anyone who’s seen how quickly a crowd forms around a late night bar brawl will tell you.
A fair chunk of the crowd is made up of friends and family who’ve come to root for their boy, and things occasionally threaten to turn ugly when things don’t go the way of their fighter. Dave uses a mike to play the crowd, calming them down and whipping them into a frenzy again as the fight progresses.
All too quickly, the final bell of the night rings. Exhausted, the last winner of the heat salutes the hall and the crowd gets to its feet for the last time.
The silence in the hall when the fighting ends is punctuated only by a few post fight debates amongst well-oiled punters. The excitement over, the adrenaline drains from the crowd as they mill about finishing their drinks, then make their way towards the exits, and back into the city’s waiting darkness.
Don’t miss the next Big Brawl:
Cruising for a bruising? Don’t miss the quarter finals of the London leg of the Big Brawl on the 28th of October. Organisers have arranged
their biggest, baddest and longest blood fest yet, all for your perverse voyeuristic pleasure. Be there!
Big Brawl Quarter Final
Porchester Hall
Porchester Road W2
Time 6pm- 1am
Tickets: ?15
Ringside: ? 25
VIP: ?65
Nearest tube: Royal Oak, Bayswater, Queensway.
Buses: 36, 70, 7, 23, 27,36
