‘I’m a nuisance if I’m not fighting’
YOU might have already heard of Christian Evans.
Better known by his nickname “Fat Boy”, he’s a bare-knuckle fighter made famous by the recent Channel 4 programme Bare Knuckle Fight Club.
Throughout the course of the documentary – which presents the sport as a shady underground world defined by spattered blood, smashed teeth and broken noses – Christian is portrayed as a hot-headed Valleys boy who loves hitting people.
“I just love blood splattering in my face, popping people’s noses, just love fighting, to be honest,” he’s quoted as saying.
“If I’m not fighting I am a nuisance. The day I pack it in might be the day I have my divorce.”
But is there more to father of two Christian than just blood, sex and a broken nose? Meeting him at his local gym, his passion for fighting instantly shines through, but it’s not the bloody, brutal poundfor-pound we see in the Channel 4 documentary.
This is technical and physical training and Christian immediately starts hitting the bags.
I ask him how he started bare-knuckle fighting.
“It’s a long story. There was a page on Facebook and I was drunk one night and challenged everyone on there,” he said.
Described as “the ultimate test for any man”, bare-knuckle fighting is thought to be the original form of boxing, closely related to ancient combat sports.
“If anything, I think bare knuckle is safer, because there’s only five two-minute rounds and if you get hit with a bare knuckle you’re going to sleep,” Christian says.
“With boxing you’re padded up, have to go for 12 rounds and you’re taking a lot more punishment on the head.”
And there’s money to be made in the up-and-coming sport.
“I’ll get between £2,000 and £3,000 per fight, as well as £10 per ticket on ticket sales. I usually sell around 50 to 60 tickets.
“For a lot of people, fighting is their full-time job – and a full-time job can be made out of it”
Christian, who grew up in Blackwood, has been fighting since the age of eight and comes from a background of boxers.
“My two brothers are professional boxers. I didn’t really have the opportunities they had, so I thought I would try the bare knuckle rather than the pro, where you’ve got to dedicate your life to it.
“I’ve had 13 pro fights – won 11, lost two.
“My first fight was in front of 200 people, my previous fight was in front of 2,500 people and the next venue I’m fighting at in Coventry on April 22, we’ve just sold 4,500 tickets and we’ve got people from UFC coming.”
When asked if he would encourage his own children to take up fighting, Christian said: “It would be entirely up to them.
“My boy is 10 and my daughter is one – so whatever it is they wanted to do.
“They can do ballet dancing or gymnastics if they wanted.
“I’ll support them in whatever they want to do.”
Read the full interview at www. walesonline.co.uk