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Home » Ex-pro boxer Paul Hilz discusses bareknuckle career

Ex-pro boxer Paul Hilz discusses bareknuckle career

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A former pro boxer is now a knockout expert in the bareknuckle ring! Paul Hilz had a 3-3 record and since he’s ditched his gloves to fight with his bare fists, he’s become a knockout king.

He has won his last three fights inside one round. Hilz says that’s proof that at 39 years old, he’s in his prime – and Buddha agrees with him!

“I didn’t start boxing until I was 28 years old,” he said. “I taught myself how to box in the unlicensed game and it was my fitness that got me through in the pros.

“I’ve stuck at it and improved. “Buddha says that if you do something for 10,000 hours, you become an expert. I have boxed two hours every day for the last 10 years and that adds up to 10,000 hours. I believe that I’m as good now as I’ve ever been.”

Hilz has set a bareknuckle boxing record that he believes will never be broken. In April, he had Bachir Fakhouri on the floor just 2.4 seconds into their fight!

“We planned to box him,” said Hilz, who works at the Box To Burn gym in Chelmsford. “But when we touched fists before the fight, he was chewing his gum shield and I knew he would try to take my head off.

“I knew he was ready to go and by the time the bell rang he was in the centre of the ring. I let my right hand go and it landed on the button.”

Bakhouri picked himself off the floor, but within a minute the fight was all over after Hilz dropped him twice more.

That has set up a challenge for Kris Tresize’s British title at the Indigo at O2 Arena on Saturday, October 11 and Hilz predicts his “toughest fight so far.”

He said: “Kris has been in with everyone and he’s been British champion for a while. I’m not saying I will knock him out, but I do believe I will win. I have grit. I got cut against Jack (Arnfield) and it didn’t faze me. I was still trying to take his head off. I would have carried on fighting, but the referee stopped it.”

Hilz has proved to be unstoppable since then and says he’s going to keep throwing big punches into his forties.

“I’ve just signed a three-year contract,” he said, “and that shows I’m happy with them – and they are happy with me.

“I’m going to be fighting my heart out in bareknuckle fights until I’m 42 years old and win or lose, it’s going to be spectacular.”