Calgary’s Kimani Crawford making name in bare-knuckle fighting

You have to be tough to climb into the ring and fight without gloves, but it's something one Calgarian has no problem doing.

“When I get in there, I hit a switch—the lights come on and it’s a show.”

Kimani Crawford works hard at his craft, and all of that hard work is starting to pay off.

Crawford is making his way up in the bare-knuckle boxing world, and he thinks he knows why.

“I think I found the formula for success,” he said.

“You’ve got to train hard and don’t worry about the critics. Just focus on you; this game is all about the individual, and you’ve got to put everything into your craft and you’ll come out on top.”

Crawford came out on top in his most recent bare-knuckle fight.

He beat Montreal’s Matt Socholotiuk in Edmonton on Aug. 9.

Crawford says it was a good fight and went viral on social media.

“He’s a well-known fighter and a formidable opponent. I got the fight of the night and got big recognition for that, and I put on a hell of a show—probably one of the best fights of the year.”

Boxing helped turn life around

Crawford is the first to admit he struggled as a youth, making bad decisions that got him into trouble.

Boxing changed all of that.

“That’s why I call myself the ‘King,’” the 33-year-old said.

“From the bottom to the top, from a peasant to a king. You watch the rise of a champion. I started from nothing and I’m coming up. Hard work, dedication, true grit and resilience, and you’ll get there.”

Wants to be the best

Crawford says his goal in bare-knuckle boxing is to take it as far as he can.

He wants to be a champion.

“I want the belt; I want the top,” he said.

“I want to fight the best fighters in Bare-Knuckle Boxing Championship and I want to prove myself against formidable opponents. I want war, and that’s what everyone wants to see is the action.”

Crawford isn’t sure when his next bare-knuckle match will be, but down the road he says he’d love to compete in Europe.

“I saw that they’re having a card in Rome and I felt like, you know, this is a gladiator sport, and it would be awesome to fight in Rome where the gladiators are known to be and all of that,” he said.