Explainers, October 9, 2025, 5 min read
What Ringside Safety Actually Looks Like At Our Events
Pre-fight bloodwork, two physicians, a paramedic unit on site, and suspensions we enforce whether the fighter likes it or not.
By Big Dawg Staff
The most common objection we hear about bare-knuckle boxing is that it is unregulated. At a sanctioned card it is one of the most heavily supervised things in combat sports.
Before the fight
Every fighter clears a physical, bloodwork and neurological screening before they are approved. Nobody gets licensed on a promise to send paperwork later. Fighters coming off a stoppage carry a mandatory suspension and we do not book around it.
At the venue
Two physicians, one at each corner of the ring, plus a paramedic unit and an ambulance on site for the duration of the event. The physician can stop any bout at any moment and does not need the referee to agree.
During the bout
Referees are instructed to stop early. A fighter who has stopped defending himself gets waved off, even if he is still standing and even if the crowd disagrees. We have had a main event stopped in round two of a card people paid to see, and we would do it again.
After the fight
Post-fight examination for everybody, win or lose. Suspensions are issued in writing and reported to the commission database, which means a fighter cannot cross a county line and take a bout next month.
Why we publish this
Because the sport carries a reputation from a century ago, and the only way to change that is to be boring and specific about what happens now.