DANNY CHRISTIE was once a feared street fighter who survived being shot and stabbed – but now he is out for bare-knuckle boxing success.
Christie, from Carlisle, boxed as an amateur from the age of 11, winning county titles and ending with a 13-6 record.
But his reputation as a brawler was instead gained on the cobbles, where he very nearly lost his life.
Christie, 39, told SunSport: “I suppose I did have a reputation on the street, but it’s nothing to be proud of.
“I don’t have any regrets, but if I could go back in time I would change a few things.
“Just generally the way I carried myself, being nuisance, starting trouble.
“But moreover I’ve hurt one or two people unnecessarily – and any pain, prison, heartache, violent encounters and near death experiences that I’ve caused myself I can live with, that’s on me.
“But it doesn’t sit as nicely knowing I’ve caused people pain unnecessarily.
“I’ve been shot in the back once and stabbed three times and I was airlifted to get a blood transfusion, that was a close call.
“Thank God I’m still here. It didn’t change me at the time because I was in the grip of active addiction.”
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Christie – who spent 12 weeks in prison aged 34 for harassing a rival – never had a professional fighting career in his sights.
But after a video of a brutal organised fight between Christie and an opponent went viral bare-knuckle promoters came calling.
He revealed: “I first became a professional fighter at the age of 37.
“I had a bit of an altercation around where I live with someone, we had a straightener in the gym in Manchester and that fight went viral.
“We had millions of hits and the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship reached out and offered me a contract.”
Christie – a once sparring partner of Tommy Fury’s – has since recorded four wins and one loss and earned the nickname The B****d.
He explained: “There’s a b****d inside of me that comes out on fight night, so the nickname fits.”
Christie opened up on the difference between competing in the ring with boxing gloves on compared to exposed fists.
He said: “One punch can change your career.
“It is the most gangster form of combat sports by far, your knuckles are like blades, throwing them at that sort of speed, they’ll take your eyebrows off. And one good punch will change the course of the fight.
“If you get hit with a good punch with a glove, yes, it will register but if you get hit with that bare knuckle, it will slice you wide open and give you 20 stitches. It’s more clinical than boxing and the fight can change quickly.”
BKFC has just announced a huge investment from UFC superstar Conor McGregor, 35, who is now a part-owner in the brand.
And Christie, who retuns on June 8 at BKFC Newcastle, said: “Anything Conor McGregor touches turns to gold.
“So I can only imagine BKFC will go into the stratosphere with his involvement with Conor McGregor on board.”
