Saturday night's disorder outside Glasgow's Ovo Hydro should act as a stark warning to city authorities and event promoters, according to a leading opinion column.
What was marketed as a high-stakes, regulated combat sports showcase – the inaugural Scottish event of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) – degenerated into lawlessness in nearby streets. The mass brawl was not an isolated burst of post-match adrenaline.
Predictable Fall-Out of Introducing Blood Sport
The violence was the predictable fall-out of introducing this event into a city already suffering from routine sectarian and gangland violence. The commercial allure of bare-knuckle boxing is clear to its promoters, but Glasgow cannot afford to tolerate the baggage it brings.
Ahead of Saturday's event, members of the public raised valid fears that the fight card was actively drawing support along football and sectarian lines. Now Bare Knuckle Boxing co-owner Conor McGregor – a former cage fighter – has raised the prospect of future Old Firm bare-knuckle contests in Glasgow.
Calls to Rule Out Old Firm Contests
To allow such events to proceed under the guise of legitimate sport would be an act of utter irresponsibility. Promoters will argue the sport is heavily regulated inside the arena, but as Saturday proved, they have zero control over the forces they unleash outside it.
When blood sport meets sectarian tribalism, the city's streets become just another venue for violent encounters. For public safety and the protection of emergency services, Old Firm bare-knuckle contests must be ruled out before the idea gains any traction.
