Black Country battle will finally settle the score
Ryan Meer and Nathan Massey have decided to settle their differences the old-fashioned way – with a bareknuckle straightener!
Their clash at the Hangar Events Venue on Saturday night is their third meeting, writes Matt Bozeat.
The previous two fights have been in the boxing ring with gloves – and the Wolverhampton fighters see their bareknuckle punch up as the decider.
“We are going to keep on fighting each other until there’s a winner,” laughed Massey.
As is to be expected, both fighters think they should be 2-0 up in their head-to-head.
Meer said: “I thought I won both fights and the judges got it wrong.
“I know he’s awkward and game and hard to hurt, but without gloves, I’m not sure he can take the power.”
The fight on Saturday goes ahead in the three-sided trigon, described by promoters BKB as the “smallest surface area in combat sport”, and Meer said: “The first two fights were all-out wars and this will be as well.”
Massey is also expecting a hard night, but as a professional boxer, MMA fighter and bareknuckle boxer, he’s used to them.
He said: “I’m expecting Ryan will have improved since the last time we boxed – and it’s different without gloves on.
“It hurts more, but I love it.
“I used to drink and fight on the street and it reached the point where I was going to end up in prison.
“I didn’t want that so I took up boxing.”
The Hangar Events Venue looks set to be full on Saturday night for a show that’s topped by the sport’s pound-for-pound No 1 Lorawnt T ‘Smash’ Nelson facing James Connelly in a rematch of their draw in 2023.
Molly Aspray will be there – and she won’t watch a single punch.
She is Meer’s fiancée, and 27-year-old scaffolder Meer said: “Molly and the rest of my family wish I did something else with my Saturday nights!
“Molly will be there on Saturday night – with her eyes closed!
“We get married in July so this is my last fight before then. I don’t want to have a black eye on the wedding photos !”
