BOURNEMOUTH businessman Joe Brown says he is taking bareknuckle boxing to Las Vegas, writes MATT BOZEAT.

Brown is the head of the only fully legal bareknuckle boxing organisation in the world – UBBAD – which he set up with Jim Freeman four years ago.

London’s O2 is expected to be full to its 3,000 capacity for BKB 14 on Saturday, November 17 and the action will be screened across Europe.

“This will go to the top,” said Brown. “We are heading to Las Vegas. No doubt about it, that will happen.”

Bareknuckle boxing was very different when Brown stumbled upon it four years ago.

“I found it on social media,” said the 44-year-old, who is also head of Top Line Management and lives in Bournemouth with wife Cindy, son Cody and daughter Destiny.

“I had got a bit bored of going to boxing shows and knowing who was going to win and thought bareknuckle boxing was more exciting.

“The fan base was there and I thought ‘if this is run properly, it could work’. I introduced medical care and weight divisions and took it from there.

“In the first show I promoted, there were 150 people there in a barn – and it’s really grown since then. I won’t stop until it’s massive.”

Brown plans to take CJ Mills with him on his journey, who he had been trying to recruit for years.

“He’s a good fighter,” said Brown. “He is really popular and a big ticket-seller.

“I was asking him for around four years to join us and was delighted when he came to me a few months ago and said he fancied having a go.”

Mills made his bareknuckle debut in the recent ‘Battle of Bournemouth’.

Around 500 fight fans headed to the town’s O2 to see Mills and Jay Ferguson settle their differences.

Mills forced Ferguson to pull out after the opening round and next month, he fights Welshman Christian Evans for the British middleweight championship.

“Bareknuckle boxing is very explosive because every fight is 50-50 and both fighters take risks,” said Brown.

“We don’t have journeymen and we don’t have mismatches.”

Fighters wear only hand wraps on their knuckles and because of that, knockouts are common.

“People like the raw excitement,” said Brown.

“There’s no politics and no nonsense, just two lads of similar ability having a fight and the best man wins.”