EXCLUSIVE
Jimmy Sweeney is bare-knuckle boxing's most decorated fighter of all time.
The Irish cult hero has left a lasting legacy of destruction during his 33-fight (29-4) reign at the top of the sport.
4
A six-time four-weight world champion, Sweeney is one of the leading figures behind bare-knuckle boxing's re-emergence from the underground over the last ten years.
Before promoters, Jim Freeman and Joe Smith-Brown, professionalised the sport in 2015 under their promotional banner BKBtm, bare-knuckle boxing was unsanctioned.
Now, it is one of the fastest-growing combat sports in the world with shows staged across the globe in prestigious venues such as the O2 Arena and Madison Square Garden.
When 'The Celtic Warrior' got involved in bare-knuckle ten years ago, the sport was filled with what he described as 'brawlers' and 'local hard men'.
READ MORE ON BOXING
Most of the early fights resembled pub brawls but when Sweeney, a seasoned amateur pugilist, came along BKBtm's promoters were forced to draft in higher calibre opponents just to keep up with him.
"Before me, it was a sport more or less full of brawlers and local hardmen but I've brought a bit of skill to it," he told talkSPORT.com.
"If you look throughout my career I've been used as the guy that's took on all the Americans, MMA fighters and pro boxers.
"Because of my style and what I've brought to the sport, a lot of people have taken notice because I'm not a brawler, I'm a technical fighter.
Most read in Boxing
4
"I've revolutionised this game and the way it is fought. Now, it is bare-knuckle boxing with an emphasis on the boxing."
Ex-UFC stars Cody McKenzie, Shonie Carter, Melvin Guillard and Colin Fletcher were all brought in to provide stern tests for Sweeney only to be beaten handily by the bare-knuckle icon.
Meanwhile, former boxing world title challenger Edgar Puerta and Olympian Jean Carlos Prada are also among the long list of stellar names he has bested.
Canelo Alvarez responds to Floyd Mayweather's glowing praise ahead of next fight against Jaime Mungia
Sweeney's seemingly impenetrable defence has drawn comparisons to that of Floyd Mayweather, and like the boxing legend, he too has enjoyed a relatively damage-free career for such a dangerous profession thanks to his uncanny ability to dodge punches.
"Bare-knuckle boxing is a brutal sport so I've been lucky in that regard as I haven't picked up many injuries outside of a broken hand and an eye injury against Barrie Jones," Sweeney continued.
"I don't really get injured. I've always been defence first and in a sport like this the aim is to hit and not get hit. That's been the secret to my success."
The ease at which Sweeney dispatched his adversaries meant he didn't need to take the sport particularly seriously at the start.
4
In the early days, he would rarely train and loved a drink, even on the day of his fight
It wasn’t until the level of competition began to improve that he became the fighter that he is today.
Recalling one of his infamous pre-fight benders, Sweeney said: “In my town [Sligo, Ireland], they had put on a boxing event, and they asked me to be a judge.
"So, I went down on the Friday and had full intentions of not drinking because I was fighting the next day in Coventry.
“But as soon as someone asked me if I wanted a drink, I said ‘Get me a bottle of Bud (Budweiser)’, before I knew it, I was drinking endless bottles of Bud judging the fight. I then ended up at a house party doing all sorts.
“Then one of my friends said, ‘Jimmy aren’t you fighting tonight’ and I said ‘No, it’s not till next week’ so then he showed me a poster and I realised I was fighting.
"So, I rushed home and jumped on a plane over to England by which time my mate back home had just woken up and saw I was fighting. I turned up black-out drunk, won the fight, knocked him out in ten seconds and got back on the beer.”
Sweeney’s mindset changed completely when he lost his first-ever bare-knuckle fight to Ultimate Fighter contestant Julian 'Let Me Bang' Lane all the way back in 2017.
Up until that point, Sweeney looked virtually invincible and had won all 18 of his bare-knuckle fights. But Lane upset the apple cart, dropping Sweeney twice en route to a majority decision victory.
4
“The Julian Lane fight changed everything for me and I’m glad it did," he added.
"That was one of the lowest moments of my life, that was November and my dad died in September, so I hit the drink and drugs hard for seven weeks. He dropped me a couple of times which won him the fight but there was no way this guy should have beaten me.
“It was a wake-up call, and I realised I needed to train properly. And in the rematch, I came in there and absolutely destroyed him with one hand. Eventually, I got off the drink for good as well and I’m better for it.”
After avenging his defeat to Lane, Sweeney won six straight fights before losing to fast-rising prospect Ricardo Franco.
Again, Sweeney bounced back to get his hand raised but was toppled from his throne shortly after by ex-gloved pro-Barrie Jones in back-to-back losses.
The Irishman is now approaching the twilight of his career and admits he doesn't have much left to achieve in the sport.
However, at 39 years old he is still capable of putting on a show and hopes to produce another golden moment this weekend when he defends his welterweight world title against James Connelly at BKB 37 in Wolverhampton.
"On paper, James is a very tough opponent," Sweeney said. "He's a world champion at the weight below and has been in this game for a long while.
"In this bare-knuckle game, you don't know what's going to happen. It could be an easy night, it could be a hard night.
"I've trained for a hard night but I'm hoping for an easy one."
