‘Misfits and cash made me lose love of boxing – I would like rawness of bare-knuckle’
Bare-knuckle boxing’s answer to Tyson Fury continues his redemption journey this weekend as he looks to become a British champion.
At a mammoth 6’8, visual comparisons between Tyrone Eliffe and the Gypsy King are clear. But there are other similarities between the pair that aren’t so obvious.
Like Fury, Eliffe has faced down mental health struggles and drug addiction. The Leicestershire fighter, 27, is still battling the former and has spoken candidly about his background – and his goals for the future – ahead of his showdown with Eryk Majda for the vacant British light-heavyweight title at BKB 38 at London’s O2 on Saturday.
READ MORE: ‘I hated being a Blackpool bouncer – now I’m a bare-knuckle boxing world champion at 45’
READ MORE: ‘Blood, gore, marriage proposals and Big Narstie – my night at bare-knuckle boxing’
“I do suffer a lot with mental health, a hell of a lot,” he tells Daily Star Sport. “I’m struggling at the minute. I get myself in a rut and find it hard to speak to people.”
The structure that being a professional bare-knuckle fighter is crucial to Eliffe as he looks to stay on the straight and now and right the wrongs of his past. He admits: “Where I’m from [Coalville], I’ve got a bit of a reputation for things I’ve done over the years. And that reputation seems to follow me around wherever I go.
What do you think of the bare-knuckle boxing? Tell us in the comments section below
(Image: BKB)
“I was on drugs when I was younger, really young. I was doing a lot of nasty things. I didn’t respect myself or anybody else. I never went out to start fights but they would come to me and I would be finishing them. It took me a few years until I really knuckled down.”
Like most bare-knuckle stars, Eliffe started out in gloved boxing, enjoying success in the white-collar scene. However, after becoming increasingly disillusioned with the sport, he felt the need to go down another path and ditch the gloves.
He finds the rise of influencer boxing particularly hard to stomach. “I was winning fights, then I lost my love for it. It’s hard to explain, but it wasn’t doing anything for me,” says Eliffe, who fought for other bare-knuckle promotions before making a victorious BKB debut earlier this year.
(Image: Getty)
Join the Daily Star’s WhatsApp for the sexiest headlines, showbiz gossip and lots more
The Daily Star is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join us!
Through the app, we’ll send you the sassiest showbiz stories, some naught headline and a seismic smattering of aliens…along with the latest breaking news of course.
To join our community, all you have to do to join is click on this link, select ‘Join Chat’ and you’re in!
No one will be able to see who has sign up and no one can send messages except for the Daily Star team. We also treat our community members to competitions, special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
“I’ve lost passion because of the mockery that it is. It’s just a money sport. Don’t get me wrong, everyone loves it [the money]. But when you’re taking away the roots of the sport just for money, it takes your love of it.
“Then Misfits Boxing started. You get these YouTubers with their first fight and they’re already professional when you’ve got amazing boxers who have dedicated their lives to it for 15-20 years and they’re not getting paydays. So I took up bare-knuckle boxing.”
Asked if the prospect of getting hurt was part of the thrill of boxing gloveless, he said: “Yeah, and boxing wasn’t doing it for me. It’s raw because you know, if you get caught in the bare-knuckle, you’re going to get cut. There’s something about it that appeals to me.
(Image: BKB)
“I like to make it a laugh as well, it’s something that makes me happy inside, whether I’m winning or losing. Why not make it fun while you’re doing it?
“I’ve always like to fight people who I think are better than me because I think it will better me. If I’m fighting something who I think can’t beat me, I feel like there’s no point fighting them.”
Still a young man, Eliffe has ambitious plans for the future with BKB and wants to showcase his talents overseas.
“I’ve fought for small promotions, but BKB is another level completely,” he explains. “I want to stay with BKB and travel the world. At the end of my career, as much as I love the belts, I want to be able to say I’ve been there and done that.”
