Could Bare Knuckle Boxing become a legit sport??

My opinion is no, but time will tell. How was MMA's popularity in the beginning years?

 

Might appeal to "knuckle heads" who think its super hardcore and manly to fight with hand wraps as apposed to gloves.

 

I don't have any clue how big the market for BKB is, but I would like to see it more reminiscent of LPRR. Some things could remain, like a little more wrestling in boxing, and maybe the scratch-line, but definitely the colors.

In Ye Olde LPRR days you'll see often men wearing a sash around their ye olde capri style pants...I forget the name of those pants...anyway, you'll notice if you read and don't just look at photos or artist's renderings that the colors of these sashes are pretty much any color. You might assume they're just style of the day, but no these are the orgins of red corner and blue corner. The color of the sash was chosen by the fighter and represented the fighter in the exact same manner as red and blue corners today what with the seconds outside the barrier near their banner usually tied to something so's both fighters can clearly see it. When a man won he walked away with the losing fighter's colors. I don't know why this went away, but I always thought it was pretty cool.

A rainbow of sashes tied together what like a magician or clown may seem kinda silly for boxing, but the symbolism is just the same as predator taking your skull for his mantle. The champion gets the big belt, but everyone's belt has some worth to it. I always thought it was pretty cool and a great way to honor journeymen.

 

For stand up trading blows in a sporting arena I prefer the 8oz glove to mitts or knuckles. Makes for a better spectacle and is likely to give a truer result, reducing the possibility of landing a lucky punch - or blinding a guy with eye pokes etc.

 

I thought the old bareknuckle boxing involved very few punches thrown over dozens of rounds, and to only certain areas of the body, because of fear of hand injuries, and that modern boxing has more action, no?

 

exactly, just reminiscent.

 

I don't see the point. Your hands will get ruined. Fight with gloves, or, if they are "too big" then use MMA gloves.
There's nothing that impresses me more about bare knuckles over regular boxing.

 

I am curious about what boxing would be like if it allowed wrestling / judo type throws and trips. That might get rid of a lot of the clinching or at least change the nature of clinching. I'm not sure but I believe I read something about the Chinese having a kickboxing version of that.

 

Early bareknuckle boxing did have that. But now you're straying into the realm of MMA.

 

The dreaded "cross buttocks" throw.

 

There's a useful hip throw in Judo called Ogoshi that I'd love to be implemented on the huggers.

 

I'll venture a guess that the cross buttocks and ogoshi were the same thing.