A fight promoter has recalled being at Nottingham Forest and playing cricket for an African nation before defying gangsters to launch a bare-knuckle boxing company
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Action from the recent BKB 31 show at the O2 in London
The BKB bare-knuckle boxing promotion is thriving(Image: BKB)
Life has certainly been anything but dull for Jim Freeman. The fight promoter, once of Nottingham Forest during the legendary Brian Clough's reign, unexpectedly found himself playing international cricket and later took on underworld figures to launch a successful bare-knuckle boxing venture.
On Saturday, he oversees a massive event in the world of bare-knuckle fighting as Wolverhampton hosts BKB 38. The event is set to feature top-ranked US fighter Lorawnt T Nelson against West Midlands star James Connelly in what's being billed as one of the most significant bouts in BKB history.
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Freeman, 44, co-owns the promotion, which was bought out by the US bare-knuckle company BYB last year. It's been quite a journey for Freeman, who was on the books of Forest during the final days of the Clough era in the early 1990s.
"Everyone who knows British football knows Clough was a genius," he recalls. "But by the time I was at Forest, he had lost some of his aura. The zest has gone. He seemed defeated. His face was bright red. He had wine cheeks."
After dropping out of football, Freeman ventured into the business world. It was a move that, bizarrely, led to a stint running a casino and game of international cricket. He explains: "I had some money in the bank a few years ago after selling my Domino's pizza franchises and was a bit fed-up with football.
"So I thought I would go somewhere hot for Christmas. The idea was to go to Gambia for six weeks, but I ended up running a casino! I didn't know how to run a casino, but the owner said, 'I just need you to look after the money', so I gave it a go.
Brian Clough
Managerial icon Brian Clough
Brian Clough
A young Jim Freeman was at Forest during the final days of Clough's reign
"I used to go to the local Indian restaurant, and the owner asked me if I liked cricket and wanted to play a game. I thought it would be a local match, but when I turned up, I was playing for the Gambian national team against Mali!
"We got absolutely spanked, but I did score eight runs and take a catch. The standard wasn't the greatest, it was only like playing for the Red Lion, but it still counts as an international match."
Switching to his love for combat sports, Freeman grew disillusioned with the recurring sight of mismatches in gloved boxing. This spurred him and business partner Joe Smith-Brown to propel bare-knuckle fighting into the limelight by launching BKB.
They aimed to take the niche sport into the mainstream. That vision, however, triggered disgruntlement among those keen on keeping it underground, with Freeman even receiving death threats.
"I used to get anonymous calls every day from people saying, 'Leave bare-knuckle boxing alone – or else', that sort of thing. They wanted to keep it underground and didn't want us giving the fighters good money and exposure."
BKB co-owner Jim Freeman (centre)
BKB co-owner Jim Freeman (centre)(Image: BKB)
Speaking to the Daily Star in 2023, Freeman recounted how the opposition to his plans to grow the sport even led to death threats.
"I've had armed police at my house saying there were credible death threats because a lot of people didn't want it to become a recognised sport," he said.
"I've had my family abused online with horrible messages. We had bomb threats at early shows. It's calmed down because I think we've broken the mould and people have realised those old days are in the past."
Saturday's show at The Hanger venue in Wolverhampton will be broadcast in 30 countries worldwide. Freeman says: "The thing with bare-knuckle boxing is that you either love it or hate it. If you like combat sports, you will like it.
"What you get in bare-knuckle boxing is two evenly-matched fighters trying to prove who's the toughest – and it usually ends in a knockout."