Sport

A night of bare knuckle boxing is coming to Manchester’s AO Arena

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Danny Jones Danny Jones - 22nd August 2025

More fighting action is heading Manchester’s way as a night of bare-knuckle boxing is coming to the AO Arena.

The city’s iconic arena has seen plenty of entertainment and combat sports over the decades, including plenty of famous boxing bouts in those years, and now the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is bringing its latest event to its doors.

It’s not the first time the BKFC has landed at the AO Arena, but with a extra tasty fight card booked for the upcoming night in Manchester, it’s tipped to be one of the best yet.

Wrists wrapped, guards up and fists at the ready, this is sure to be one of the feistiest nights on the Manc sporting calendar, hands-down.

Set to be headlined by two-time world boxing champion James DeGale vs Matt Floyd in a light heavyweight showdown, not to mention a co-main event crossover clash between Aaron Chalmers and former Love Island star turned fighter Jack Fincham, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

There’s also a UK Lightweight Title is on the line, with Jonny Graham facing off against Navid Mansouri, as well as fan favourite and Bolton‘s very own Jack Cullen returning to take on the experienced Moldovan mauler, Stanislav Grosu.

It’s fair to say even prior the closers, this is a stacked undercard of British and international contenders, so its no wonder there’s already plenty of eyes on this particular edition of BKFC.

Speaking ahead of the fight night, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship President, David Feldman, said: “BKFC 81 is a statement night for our UK expansion, Manchester is a fight city and this is one of our most explosive UK cards yet.

“James DeGale is a proven champion and a massive attraction. Pairing him with a live threat like Matt Floyd at the AO Arena is everything fans love about BKFC, elite talent, high stakes, and action from first bell to last, this is an unmissable event.”

Turning to the two headliners themselves, DeGale says “fans can expect skill, spite, and a KO”, while Floyd added that while he respects what his opponent has achieved in his career thus far, “[he’s] coming to shock the world in Manchester.”

As you can see, the promotion has a number of dates to play out before BKFC 81 gets underway at the AO Arena next month, but you won’t get many with the same kind of energy Northern crowds guarantee.

Kicking off on Saturday, 27 September, the venues pre-sale window is already open and general admission tickets go live at 10am this Sunday (24 Aug).

You can get ready to grab yours HERE.

In the meantime, you can get a better taste of the no-holds-barred boxing beatdowns, well, down below – and be warned, it really is brutal…

Read more:

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Featured Images — BKFC (supplied)/The Manc Group

Sport

Manchester City supporters groups call on club and fellow fans to ‘make their voices heard’

Danny Jones Danny Jones Man City fan groups call for voices to be heard statement on season ticket changes

A collection of Manchester City supporters groups has urged both the club and the fans themselves to “make [their] voice heard” this season, following this year’s protests over the new and “drastic” ticketing policy.

Man City fans gathered both before and after the game against Wolves back in April to make their feeling known regarding season ticket changes.

Appealing to manager Pep Guardiola directly, insisting that he needs their energy to get the kind of “alive” crowds he’s also called for in the past, ‘The 1984’ has now been joined by four other supporters trusts in reaffirming their aims for the new campaign.

Sharing a new joint statement on social media, the five fan groups say that “last season saw unprecedented off-pitch unrest among City fans in the post-Maine Road era”, and the only way to avoid further disruption is to listen and heed their warnings.

Writing on behalf of the aforementioned 1894 group, Canal Street Blues, MCFC Fans Foodbank Support, Solid Citizens, Trade Union Blues and nearly 700 official members, as you can see, they penned a lengthy open letter to the club and the City Football Group (CFG).

“Despite recent success on the field,” they say, “two major in-stadium protests took place, with an estimated 16,000+ fans delaying their entry at the Leicester and Wolves games, and thousands more joining silent protests.

“The triggers were rising ticket prices, season ticket availability, poor supporter engagement (including the Club refusing to meet City Matters on ticket prices for months), and away fans in home sections – often linked to third-party resellers like Viagogo, whose new partnership with the Club proved the breaking point.”

They also conceded that the freeze in the cost of a full season ticket and reduced matchday prices were a welcome breath of fresh air and stirred hope for better fan engagement moving forward.

However, as the statement continues, “Unfortunately, the Club has instead introduced sweeping changes to season ticket terms and conditions, hitting some of our most loyal supporters and damaging long-standing fan culture.”

You can see all of the new and almost universally opposed ticket changes listed in full via bullet points above, but standouts include an unprecedented ’10-game personal attendance policy’ – the first of its kind in English football – stricter ticket transfer rules, and even new facial recognition scanners.

Fan reaction online has been as you would expect; most City supporters are in almost overwhelming agreement with the concerns raised in the latest communication, particularly in the minimum attendance and transfer rules, adding: “the latter directly undermines the stated aim of ‘keeping the stadium full.'”

“There are also fears some of these rules won’t apply equally to hospitality season ticket holders, introducing worries of inequality between fans,” the statement continues.

“These changes create unnecessary workload for ticket office staff, introduce barriers for digitally excluded fans, force some into paid memberships, and erode supporter culture.

“All [the] while, City Matters, our elected Fan Advisory Board, has repeatedly faced delays and broken deadlines for meeting minutes, with the most recent minutes now 59 days overdue from the June meeting. No one wants constant conflict with the Club, but when official channels fail, protest becomes the only option. Last season proved that fan action can drive change.”

“We call on all Blues to:

  • Track and record if and how these changes affect you.
  • Make your voice heard – online, via City Matters, and through fan groups.
  • Join fan groups such as 1894, the Disabled Supporters Association, Canal Street Blues, Trade Union Blues, and your local OSC branch to discuss issues with fellow Blues.”

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Lastly, they have called on the club to rethink their current policies surrounding personal attendance and ticket transfers, “take a ‘fans first’ approach when it comes to all future policies affecting supporters, engaging in meaningful consultation with fan representatives,” and publish fan meetings “on time.”

What do you make of the supporter groups’ statement and, more importantly, how do you feel about recent changes to season tickets and matchday admission, City fans?

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group

Sport

Manchester United appoint new Academy Director with more youth players set to join first-team training

Danny Jones Danny Jones Brentford FC youth coach joins Man United as new Academy Director

Manchester United have appointed a new Academy Director in the form of former footballer turned coach Stephen Torpey.

Signing the retired Kirkby-born forward from fellow Premier League side Brentford FC, Torpey arrives at the newly regenerated Carrington Training Complex with a strong pedigree.

The 43-year-old – who spent time at Greater Manchester clubs like Altrincham, Atherton Laburnum Rovers, Staylbridge Celtic and FC United as a pro – joined Brentford last January, but has now made the move up North.

Announced this week, Stephen Torpey officially will replace former academy boss Nick Cox, who left the club after the best part of a decade back in June.

Having been reportedly head-hunted by INEOS and Man United’s Director of Football, Jason Wilcox (who is still only recently installed himself), the ex-Bees coach was confirmed on Thursday, 21 August.

Speaking on the appointment, Wilcox wrote in a club statement: “After an extensive recruitment process, we are delighted to have appointed Stephen at such an exciting time for our Academy.

“Stephen’s record of youth development is outstanding; throughout his career, he has played a significant role in the development of some of the most talented players in the country.

“We will work closely together to ensure that the Academy continues to foster the right environment to nurture our young players individually while developing the best talent ready to excel in our first team.”

As for Torpey, he said: “I am really proud to have this opportunity to lead Manchester United’s Academy. It is obviously a great time to be joining as the club enters an exciting new era; I can’t wait to play my role in continuing the incredible tradition of youth development here.”

Torpey went on to add: “After spending time with the leadership team, it is clear that the Academy will always remain key to the identity of Manchester United, with our primary aim being to produce players ready to support a first team capable of challenging for the biggest honours.”

You can find out more about the new United Academy Director, Stephen Torpey, and his background here.

Having famously disproven the ‘you can’t win anything with kids’ belief put forward by Alan Hansen on multiple occasions over the past three decades, it looks like manager Ruben Amorim is once again looking to turn inwards to find future gems in addition to a plethora of new signings.

Brentford also have a reputation for blooding in previously unknown young players along with their clever ‘Moneyball’ recruitment, especially as they have risen up the football pyramid in recent years, so United supporters will no doubt he hoping for similar results at Old Trafford.

The UEFA A-licensed coach has worked with both Man City and Liverpool youth setups, not to mention overseeing the relaunch of Brentford’s full academy programme from U9s to U18s; boasting a wealth of experience, and it already looks like even more youngsters are set to be gradually pushed forward.

Amorim has already given minutes to the likes of Ayden Heaven, Harry Amass, Tyler Fredricson and Chido Obi, just to name a few. With that in mind, it looks like others will soon be flirting with first-team training and perhaps senior appearances.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Manchester United (via X)/Brentford FC

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