AZ casino says no more Bare-Knuckle boxing, but Commission Association is still angry and still has questions

The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation told the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) that it will not host another Bare-Knuckle fight promoted by FelKO, which last Friday staged the controversial bout featuring Bobby Gunn at its casino on Native American land not subject to the Arizona State Boxing & MMA Commission’s jurisdiction.

In an apparent response to an ABC press release Wednesday that condemned the event as “perhaps, criminal,’’ Fort McDowell Director of Marketing Tom McGill wrote Association Vice President Gregory Sirb that “there will not be any more Bare Knuckle Boxing events provided by FelKO Promotions.

In a letter acquired by 15 Rounds from the ABC, McKee also wrote that no “financial compensation was paid to the boxers from FMC (Fort McDowell Casino) so it was not a professional event. FelKO Promotions did not pay anything either.’’

ABC President Tim Lueckenhoff does not believe that the fighters were not paid.

“There is no way I could imagine that either fighter is going to fight for free after being paid in the past,’’ Lueckenhoff told 15 Rounds Thursday in an e-mail. “It is hogwash!’’

Gunn, who won a third-round stoppage over a Chris Stewart, is a well-known pro who fought for cruiserweight titles, including the International Boxing Federation’s version two years ago in a loss to Tomasz Adamek.

If no money was paid, it would have been an amateur event, which means it would not be subject to state regulation. Then, however, Lueckenhoff said it still would have to be regulated by USA Boxing.

If true, Lueckenhoff said, “this must be sanctioned by USA Boxing.’’

Before the bout last week, Dave Feldman of FelKO said he expected controversy. He said he also understood the safety concerns initially expressed by the Arizona Commission.

Dennis O’Connell, Arizona’s executive director, said he would never have allowed the event. In a news release last week, the state’s regulatory agency stated that bare-knuckle bouts “have serious health and safety implications.’’

The ABC called it “abhorrent, barbaric, egregious.” The national association said the bout also was “in contravention of a multitude of federal, state, and tribal boxing laws and regulations.’’

The ABC questions whether the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation has in fact a working commission. In 2008, Fort McDowell terminated a relationship it had with the Arizona commission, which had supervised pro cards on the reservation as part of a compact that it continues to have with casinos on Native American property.

The ABC promised to investigate “with the possibility of a referral to the U.S. Attorney’s Office toward the ends of barring any such activity in the future, instituting a criminal prosecution, or both.’’

Feldman said last week that he plans further Bare-Knuckle bouts. He said he has spoken to people in other states interested in bringing back an era in boxing that vanished more than a century ago. Feldman declined to identify either the people or the states.