Ben Bonner, from Grove Hill in Middlesbrough, became the new Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) Lightweight World Champion after a stunning victory in the US.
In a performance on the global stage, he knocked out former boxing world champion Austin Trout in the second round to secure the belt.
The victory marks the pinnacle of Bonner’s bare-knuckle career and adds another major sporting success to Teesside’s growing reputation for producing elite fighters.
Ben Bonner is the new BKFC world champion. (Image: BKFC)
Those close to him say the win is the result of years of hard work, discipline and unwavering self-belief.
Boxing organisations have hailed the achievement as a huge moment not just for Bonner, but for Middlesbrough and the wider North East, with another regional fighter bringing world honours back home.
Fans have been quick to celebrate on social media, describing him as “another North East hero” and praising the way he has represented the area on the world stage.
For Bonner, the title is proof that a fighter from Middlesbrough can rise all the way to the very top of one of combat sport’s toughest codes.
His success is the latest reminder that the region is at the forefront of raising fighting champions.