honor code

Have you ever noticed the guy in a fighting stance on the Art of Manliness logo? That’s not just some random symbol; it’s an actual dude: John L. Sullivan, the greatest bare-knuckle boxer of the 19th century.

While most people think bare-knuckle boxing came to an end during Sullivan’s era, in fact, it never entirely went away. In his new book, Bare Knuckle: Bobby Gunn, 73–0 Undefeated. A Dad. A Dream. A Fight Like You’ve Never Seen, Stayton Bonner charts bare-knuckle boxing’s rise, fall, and resurgence, as well as the improbable story of its modern chapter’s winningest champion. Today on the show, Stayton describes bare-knuckle boxing’s incredible popularity a century ago, and why gloved boxing took its place while bare-knuckle got pushed into a shadowy, illicit underground. Stayton takes us into that secret circuit which still exists today, revealing the dark, sweaty basements and bars where modern bare-knuckle fights take place and the ancient code of honor that structures them. And Stayton introduces us to a dominant figure in that world, Bobby Gunn, an undefeated bare-knuckle fighter who combines a love of faith, family, and fighting and has helped turn bare-knuckle boxing into what is now the world’s fastest-growing combat sport.

Resources Related to the Podcast

• AoM series on honor
• AoM Podcast #41: Honor in the Civil War — The Gentlemen & The Roughs
• Podcast #54: The Life of John L. Sullivan
• AoM Podcast #111: Why Men Fight & Why We Like to Watch 
• AoM Article: America’s First Popular Men’s Magazine — The National Police Gazette
• Videos of Bobby Gunnfighting and talking about bare-knuckle boxing
• Tom Molineaux
• John L. Sullivan
• The Sullivan-Kilrain fight
• William “Bill the Butcher” Poole
• Gangs of New York bare-knuckle fight scene
• Far and Away bare-knuckle fight scene

Connect With Stayton Bonner

• Stayton on X
• Stayton on LinkedIn

Pretty much everything you know about duels is true - it's a challenge to violence to defend honor. But did you know the U.S. Navy used to publish detailed guidelines in its midshipmen's handbook? Learn all there is to know about dueling in this classic episode.

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