British history-making boxer makes bare knuckle boxing debut this Saturday
Frankie Gavin makes bare knuckle boxing debut
At the age of 39, and over six years since his last fight, Frankie Gavin is making his bare knuckle boxing debut his Saturday, June 28, at the bp Pulse Arena in his local city of Birmingham, live on DAZN.
"Funtime" Frankie Gavin will face Jack Dugdale (3-1, 3 KOs) over five two-minute rounds at welterweight. His fearsome opponent has won all three of his victories within the first round, but has also been stopped in the first round in his one and only defeat.
Dugdale took just 26 seconds to win his bare knuckle boxing debut in 2023, and won his last fight in November last year in exactly two-minutes.
Frankie Gavin now lives in Droitwich with his partner Sian O’Toole, who is the current Midlands Area featherweight champ, and the couple have a son together.
The southpaw looked forward to his fight with honesty, “I’ll never be that person [in the ring] I once was. But if I can be half of that person, I’ll be happy.
“If it comes to something, it comes to something. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”
At one point, his weight ballooned to 16st 11lb, but he has slimmed down to compete at under 11st.
“The last few years I’ve been in and out,” he admitted. “I haven’t suffered from depression, but I’ve not been myself. I did a bit of partying before thinking, ‘this isn’t me’.
“I started training at DP Boxing, in Worcester, with Liam Carey and he lives the life. I’m now living a cleaner life, a better life. The itch is back in my knuckles.”
Frankie admitted, “Sian isn’t really happy about it, but she’s happy I’ve got something to get my head around.”
He then turned his attention to the new format of fighting, “People who get hurt in boxing, it happens in the late rounds when they’ve got pummelled. In bareknuckle, you are not going to get pummelled for round after round after round.”
As an amateur with Hall Green, Gavin was something very special, breaking records for Britain. He won the ABAs, picked up a Commonwealth Games gold medal, and won the 2007 World Championships – becoming the only boxer from this country to ever do so.
Despite gaining outright ownership of a Lonsdale Belt at welterweight, being crowned Commonwealth champ and challenging for a world title, there was still an underlying feeling that Gavin had under-achieved in his professional career.
There were claims his discipline wandered and he too often lived-up to his “Funtime Frankie” ring nickname.
Frankie reflected, “One hundred per cent, I have regrets. [Former trainer] Tom Chaney used to tell me things, he played a big part in getting me where I got. I wish I’d listened to him a bit more.
“My phone has been dead for the last couple of years, suddenly I’m getting calls from people wanting mate’s rates [for tickets]. I wish I knew back then what I know now.”
Frankie Gavin (26-4, 15 KOs)
Frankie Raymond Gavin, born 28 September 1985, held British and Commonwealth welterweight titles between 2012 to 2015, and challenged once for the IBF welterweight title in 2015 against Kell Brook.
As an amateur, Gavin became the UK's first-ever world champion when he won a gold medal in the at the 2007 World Championships. He also won gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
He signed a contract with promoter Frank Warren and made his pro debut with Olympians James Degale and Billy Joe Saunders, which he won via fourth-round stoppage.
In 2010, he won his first professional title by defeating Sheffield's Michael Kelly in the fifth round for the Irish light welterweight title. He qualified for the title as both his parents are Irish.
In June 2013, Gavin defeated the previously unbeaten Denton Vassell by seventh-round TKO, having broken Vassell's jaw. In doing so he retained his BBBofC British welterweight title and captured Vassell's Commonwealth title.
He attempted to go one better by capturing the European title, but he was narrowly beaten on a split decision by undefeated Leonard Bundu.
He won his British and Commonwealth titles back against Bradley Skeete in 2014, around six months before a failed attempt at becoming world champion against Kell Brook, stopped in six.
He then entered into a local derby against fellow Brummie Sam Eggington, which he lost after eight rounds.
After three comeback wins against journeymen, he travelled to Spain to take on Bilbao's Kerman Lejarraga, halted in four rounds, and thus ending his professional boxing career.
