Gunn the bareknuckle brawler ready to give Enzo the eyeball by Ian McNeilly Feb 22nd 2007

Despite the initial negative coverage given to the challenger for Enzo Maccarinelli's WBO cruiserweight belt, one thing can be said for certain – Bobby Gunn is a character. Gunn, who takes on the Welshman on the undercard of Calzaghe-Manfredo at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on April 7th, has become an internet boxing legend due to his crazy up and down fight with Shelby Gross in March last year. In one of the worst refereeing performances of all time, Gunn almost KO'd Gross in the first before being stopped himself right at the end of the third.  (The fight was declared a no contest after Gross tested positive for marajuana.) The brawl made Rocky Balboa look like Terry Marsh. From nowhere, Gunn has been elevated to WBO number 15 and a shot at Maccarinelli. Most striking is the gap of more than eleven years in his professional log between March 1993 and December 2004. Trainer Joe Grier explained: “Bobby's mother died and she was really the driving force behind his boxing. The politics played a big part and we had to deal with a lot of unscrupulous characters. So we went the bareknuckle route – Bobby had around 30 unsanctioned bouts between 1996 and 2004, all over the world. I wish I had a video camera back then!” It was suggested that Grier and Gunn would have a few tales to tell of their exploits sans gloves. “Tell them the eyeball story!” piped Grier, but Gunn seemed keen to leave the brutal tales of derring do in the past and no amount of cajoling would move him to build on the ghoulish suggestion. “I've an eleven-year old son called Bobby junior,” said Gunn, “and he's coming over to meet Enzo and the great Joe Calzaghe. My wife Rose is coming too. I'm fighting for my family, for a better life.” Grier chimed in: “At the time we made more money via the bareknuckle route but now Bobby is an IBA world champion. We've prepared for this our entire lives and want to show the world who Bobby Gunn is. I know that people in Europe don't know who Bobby is yet but it's the same for us over here. We tell people we are fighting Enzo Maccarinelli and people ask ‘Who's Enzo Maccarinelli?' I suppose on April 7th we'll all find out who both of them are.” Gunn was keen to state his links across the pond. “I've an Irish grandfather and was over there for quite some time. My mother was born in Essex, England and became a US citizen in the 60's. But my heart is in Canada.” “Bobby will be representing all of North America,” said Grier. WBO champion Maccarinelli didn't seem too frightened of facing ‘Machine' Gunn. “With the fights with both David Haye and Johnny Nelson falling through, I've been through disappointments. I haven't seen too much of Bobby Gunn, to be honest. I've seen the Shelby Gross fight but I don't read too much into that – the referee could have stopped Gross in the first. “I'm all ready to go. I'm in the slipstream of Joe (Calzaghe) at the minute and I'm happy with that. But one day I'll break through and I'll be the top man. Grier interrupted: “We're coming to take the belt back home!” “You can try,” replied Enzo, drily. “We don't try, we do. We're bringing everything!” “You'll have to.” Despite the bold words and the tough man, bareknuckle brawling, one gets the feeling Enzo's right.

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