I had the pleasure of sitting down with the one and only, Liam “Rocky” Rees ahead of BYB 32.
In the ever growing world of bare knuckle, we are constantly introduced to fighters we otherwise may not have known if not for the age-old discipline. And for myself, someone who is fortunate enough to cover this sport, fighters and their extraordinary stories seem to come out of the woodwork on a weekly basis. For the rather reserved carpenter “Rocky”, his BYB 32 clash with Scott McHugh serves as a chance to introduce himself to the masses of bare knuckle.
Given the nature of the sport, a lot of these stories involve trying times followed by triumph. Many of the men and women who find themselves in the chaotic world of bare knuckle had to overcome something before toeing the line. For Liam “Rocky” Rees, his path to the bright lights of bare knuckle has been no different. At 3-0, the Welshman is just getting started.
The man is a lifelong athlete. However, if not for a special someone in his life, and the introduction of bare knuckle, I likely wouldn’t have had the opportunity to speak with the former BKB Flyweight champion. And with his Oct. 12th world title fight with McHugh looming, what better time to speak with him!
Here’s my conversation with the man himself, Liam “Rocky” Rees.
Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: To start, tell us a little bit about yourself and your upbringing into bare knuckle.
A: I come from Swansea, which is based in Wales. I’m thirty years of age and I’ve been on the bare knuckle scene for about two years. I started boxing and trained for about five years altogether. I’ve had about 13 unlicensed fights, I won them all. I’ve had two four-ounce glove fights, won both. And then I decided that I would give bare knuckle a go, where I’m currently 3-0 and a two time British champion. That’s it really, other than that I work!
Given the brutal nature of bare knuckle, what forced you to veer into that space?
I was training with my boxing coach Jason Williams, and at the time he was training Daniel Lerwell, who was in BKB well before me, and they were like, “Rock, you were made for this sport”. So I went, “Okay, let’s give it a go”. I had my first fight and I absolutely loved it. I kept thinking like “oh, am I doing the right thing, am I not doing the right thing?” It looks quite scary, I had watched a couple fights before my fight and thought “s**t what the h**l am I doing here”. But once I got in that ring, the buzz was amazing, I absolutely loved it. It’s a totally different fighting game. The boxing was good with the gloves but I guess it got quite repetitive. In the bare knuckle scene, it’s brutal. Someone’s getting hurt.
Photo Courtesy: BYB Extreme
Were there any aspirations prior to bare knuckle? You mentioned boxing but was that something you wanted to pursue?
No, growing up in school I always played high level football (soccer) and rugby. And then when I got to the age of 17, my mother and father split up and I went off the rails a bit. I had a drug addiction for about five years. I met my partner then and she basically saved my life. She got me into boxing then which kept me on the straight and narrow. And ever since then, that’s how we got here.
You mentioned team sports. You’re certainly not the only one to go from team sports to fighting but to move to bare knuckle is definitely rare. How has the transition been?
It's good, I actually also did karate until I was about 15, from around the age of nine. Then of course as I mentioned I played rugby, schoolboy rugby and then academy for my last year and a half of school. But I played high end football as well. Football was my passion. I played it until the age of seventeen, I actually started back up this season! I thought I’d give it one more go because I have two young kids, maybe I can play a bit before I start taking them to football. But yeah it's quite hard on the schedule.
As a father, life outside of fighting is surely busy. How do you juggle the responsibilities of bare knuckler and dad?
It’s a hard schedule at the minute. I run my own business (carpentry), I train four hours a day everyday. I try to prep food, work, and see the kids. But I don’t see my kids and wife at the minute because of training camp, my wife mostly deals with the kids. It’s a lot of commitment, people don’t understand what goes into the camps, it’s not an easy process. People just think you show up and fight. But you have to train, (sometimes) 12 in the morning, 12 in the afternoon, maybe an hour during the day. You’ve got to try and work eight hours a day as well, because you have to cover your camp expenses.
Being so early in your bare knuckle career, and with a belt already to your name, what are your goals within bare knuckle.
I want to be the best. I want to get to the highest level. I want to get to the top. If I beat Scott McHugh now, I’ll become world champion. I’m currently ranked sixth in the world, number one UK flyweight. But yeah, I want to win this world title, get in the Hall of Fame and then I think I’d have achieved my dreams. Then I can pass that on to my kids, because honestly I am missing out on a lot of time in my kids’ life at the minute, camps take over your life. I’m going to try to train as much as I possibly can now, and maybe have a little break. I’d like to come to America as well. But eventually I just want to enjoy my time with my kids.
Photo Courtesy: BYB Extreme
The industry of bare knuckle is moving fast. Some consider it the fastest growing sport in the world. And for someone who started in BKB, what has the acquisition of BKB through BYB been like from your perspective.
Well when I saw the rules, it was a totally different game. If you’ve seen some of the boys that have come over, in the boxing ring it’s a totally different sport. In the squared ring, there’s a lot more backfoot fighters. In a triangle ring you can’t be a backfoot fighter, you have to be a frontfoot fighter. You have to be good with your footwork. Clinch work as well, so it’s a totally different mindset. But I’m excited to step into the trigon! I went up and watched the Cardiff card, and I couldn’t get over how small the actual ring was. They’re literally toe to toe. Apparently the Leeds ring will be bigger though. It’s been a big adaptation, but I think I’m ready for it.
Speaking of Leeds, your next bout is scheduled against the well known Scott McHugh on Oct. 12th. The bare knuckle community is quite small, is there any history there between you two?
No no. There’s no bad blood, I’ve got loads of respect for Scott and we’ve never had any arguments or anything. I’ve got lots of respect for him because he’s one of the biggest names over here in the bare knuckle industry. He’s done well to get to where he is now. He’s got loads of belts and titles. He’s a good lad and he’s worked hard to get to where he is now so it’s a pleasure to share the ring with him. He’s had about ten times more fights than me, but I think it’ll be a great fight! I’m a very technical boxer but I’ve been watching Scott for years, even before I started. I know the way he works. In my three fights I’ve fought three very different fighters which forced me to adapt. We’re doing the same with Scott.
All of your bouts have taken place overseas. But with the rapid growth of bare knuckle in North America, would you like to showcase your skills there too?
Yeah 100%. I’ve already spoken with Jim Freeman a bunch. I signed a three fight deal and one of the fights is guaranteed to be in America so no doubt. I think I’ll fight in Cardiff in February, and then hopefully the one after that is in America.
It’s clear you’ve come a long way. From the low points you mentioned in your younger years, to adapting to the violent world of bare knuckle. As a dad who’s now juggling those responsibilities with being a fighter, what would you tell your younger self?
Yeah definitely. I would say drugs and drinking isn’t the best way forward. It doesn’t solve anything, you think it hides your issues. At the end of the day it’s just gonna kill you. Once you’ve hit rock bottom, you can’t go any further, you’ve got to get back on your feet. Get into a sport, find a hobby. For me it was boxing. And also find good people. My partner has done alot for me, like I said she saved my life. My kids have changed my life massively as well. But yeah just have structure in your life. Around here drugs are an issue so I would just say find a routine. Thankfully I did.
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Liam “Rocky” Rees is yet another example of why it’s never too late to find your calling. Even if it means getting a little nudge from someone who cares about you. Embracing the role of underdog, his bouts with addiction have molded him as he prepares for bouts in the trigon. And with no shortage of motivation through his family, Rees looks to cement himself in the history of bare knuckle.
On Oct. 12th, at BYB 32, Rees will face off against British bare knuckle legend Scott McHugh for the BYB Police Gazette World Diamond Super Welterweight championship in Leeds, England.
Top Photo Courtesy of BYB Extreme
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