I’ve been in a lot of tough fights in my life—some with gloves, some without. I’ve faced world champions, brawled bare-knuckle in pubs, and trained for weeks knowing that one wrong move could mean a trip to the hospital. So when someone asks me, “Is boxing still the toughest sport in the world?”—my answer is simple.

Yes. And if you really want to push it, bare-knuckle boxing takes it even further.

Why Boxing Still Stands at the Top

There’s no team to rely on in the ring. No substitutions, no timeouts. It’s just you and the other man, and if you’re not switched on every second, you’re getting laid out. Boxing tests everything—your fitness, your nerves, your discipline, and your will to keep moving forward even when your body’s screaming to stop.

People often look at MMA or rugby and say, “That looks brutal.” And it is. But in boxing, every shot is thrown with one intention: to end the fight. Your hands are weapons. Your chin is a target. And there’s nowhere to run when the bell rings.

Why Boxing Still Matters

In a world full of shortcuts, boxing still demands the long road. It takes years to master, years to build a name, and one second to lose everything. You don’t just train your body—you train your character. That’s why the sport survives. That’s why it matters.

And with the return of bare-knuckle boxing in recent years—through proper, regulated promotions and documentaries like the one from Newmount Films that I was proud to be part of—the spirit of the old-school fighter is alive and well. The sport is evolving, but the toughness? That hasn’t changed.

My Verdict

So, is boxing still the toughest sport in the world?

For me, without a doubt. And if you’ve ever stood in the centre of a ring, hands up, heart pounding, and felt the crowd roar as you bite down and throw, then you’ll know exactly why.

Gloves or bare fists—boxing will always be the ultimate test of what a fighter’s made of.

If you want to see what that life really looks like—beyond the headlines and highlight reels—check out the documentary I was part of, produced by Newmount Films. It tells the true story of bare-knuckle boxing in Britain, the people who live it, and the price we pay to step into the ring. It’s raw, honest, and exactly how it should be.

You can watch The Beast of the Bales now on Amazon Prime & on the Newmount films website: www.nmfilms.co.uk