Inside the world of bare knuckle fighting and photography

In the Unconventional Brits series on Shots! TV, we follow the real lives of some of the most extraordinary people, hobbies and places in the country. In a brand new episode, we meet a documentary photographer who’s immersed himself in the world of bare knuckle fighting, and the founder of a museum dedicated to a football club and its fans.

Bare-knuckle fighting is a full-contact combat sport based on punching without any form of padding on the hands. The game is inherently more dangerous than boxing with gloves, with increased health risks including severe facial and head trauma. Although similar, it differs from street fighting as it follows a specific set of rules.

John Bolloten is a documentary photographer who photographs bare knuckled fighting. He said: “There’s nowhere to hide in bare-knuckled fighting, it’s three two one.. Bang! Somebody is getting hit from the off.”

John enjoys getting to know the people behind the game and often spends time interviewing fighters at their homes and photographing them as ordinary people.

He said: “One common theme I’ve heard from people is that bare knuckle fighting has a positive influence on their mental health. Many young men are really attracted to violent past times like football hooliganism for example. But there’s also a very strong strand of people who have come from very traumatic backgrounds. With drug and alcohol addiction and mental health issues.”

John says he likes to be up close when photographing a fight.

“I like to be physically close and I like to be emotionally close. I’m a thrill seeker. But on the other side of it, I am a serious documentary photographer. I want to make powerful work that has value and is important.”

Watch the full episode to learn more about unconventional hobbies, people and places, including a museum dedicated to a football club and its fans. You can also tune into Freeview channel 262 and Freely channel 565 for more true crime, football, and quirky UK content . Keep up with our latest videos by signing up to Shots TV! Newsletter here.