{"id":389678,"date":"2026-01-25T12:30:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T12:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/389678\/"},"modified":"2026-01-25T12:30:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T12:30:10","slug":"meet-the-edinburgh-dad-of-five-and-landscaper-by-day-with-an-eyebrow-raising-side-gig","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/389678\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Edinburgh dad-of-five and landscaper by day with an eyebrow raising side gig"},"content":{"rendered":"

Billy hopes to become a champion at 38.<\/p>\n

08:18, 25 Jan 2026Updated 08:20, 25 Jan 2026<\/p>\n

\"Billy<\/p>\n

Billy Burton has vowed to return to the ring(Image: REACH PLC\/Callum Moffat)<\/p>\n

A bare knuckle boxing grandad from Portobello has vowed to make a triumphant return to the ring.<\/p>\n

At 38, Billy Burton is battered and broken, his hands have been smashed to pieces through colliding his bare knuckles with the skulls and flesh of his opponents. The landscaper is a father of five and grandfather of two who has built a career through violence.<\/p>\n

But Billy doesn\u2019t like to be seen through the lens of aggression. He admits he takes no joy in hurting others.<\/p>\n

Born in Falkirk, he moved to Exeter at six months old, he remained in the south west until he was 16, and after failing to get into the army, he travelled back north to settle in Edinburgh. Billy claims he had never officially trained as a boxer but after being bullied throughout his childhood, he developed a chin and a monster right hand.<\/p>\n

Billy started a family young – his eldest son is aged 19, his twin daughters, 18, were followed by a seven-year-old son and more recently an 18-month-old daughter. After becoming a father, he was in and out of work as a landscaper, struggling to provide.<\/p>\n

But through a chance Facebook message at the age of 24 from a renowned East End gangster, Dave Courtney, he was invited to a bare knuckle boxing event at Castle Camelot, Plumstead.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got into it when a guy from London found me on Facebook and said I looked hard,\u201d he said. \u201cHe messaged me out of the blue and asked if I wanted a fight.<\/p>\n

\"Billy<\/p>\n

Billy feels he has unfinished business in the bare knuckle boxing world(Image: REACH PLC\/Callum Moffat)<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first I thought it would be in a car park like you see in the travellers videos. But when I got down there it was at Dave Courtney\u2019s Camelot Castle in Plumstead.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey made a ring out of hay bales in his garden and there were only 50 people there. After being introduced to everyone I got asked whether I would take part in a bare knuckle boxing event in the North of England.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought why not. It would be my first ever fight in a ring, I\u2019d only ever had scraps after a few beers on the street.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t have any boxing training, the extent of it was shadow boxing in the mirror but I agreed to it after I\u2019d had a few drinks. I told my mates and family about it the next day and they all thought I was mental but that spurred me on.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was around 26 and I fought a guy called Alex Salmond, he was billed as the hardest man in Carlisle. He was a scaffolder by trade and kept telling me before the fight I\u2019d get knocked out in round two.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I promised myself then I\u2019d knock him out in the second. When I got down to Newcastle for the fight I forgot my mouth guard and had to borrow another bloke\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first punch I threw was a jab that broke his nose. And true to my word, I floored him in the second.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt weirdly calm. I\u2019ve honestly been more intimidated by women shouting at me than when I step in the ring.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though it was a violent environment, I went into it with respect. I don\u2019t want to hurt people but if someone is coming to embarrass me, I can\u2019t have that, and if it happens then so be it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not a violent guy, I\u2019m happy. I don\u2019t want to be seen as aggressive. But from a young age I knew I could hit so I might as well do something with it. Fighting for me is all love, it\u2019s never personal but when someone calls me out and tries to embarrass me, I\u2019m not having it, I\u2019m coming for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"'I'm<\/p>\n

‘I’m not a violent guy, I\u2019m happy'(Image: REACH PLC\/Callum Moffat)<\/p>\n

Billy\u2019s stock grew with his strong debut showing but his next challenge was to come outside of the ring when his daughter, Shania, was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of seven. The earth shattering news came two weeks before his next bout against a powerful Welsh brawler two stone heavier than him.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy second time in the ring was against Christan Evans, a Welsh fighter with over 30 fights,\u201d he said. \u201cHe was two stone heavier than me but I felt confident I could beat him.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo weeks before the fight my daughter was diagnosed with cancer. We were in and out of hospital so I couldn\u2019t train.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy partner and I were out of work at the time though and I knew I needed money so I travelled down for the fight. I said no matter what just make sure I get back home to my daughter afterwards.<\/p>\n

\u201cI made about \u00a3400 off the promoter but others at the event raised \u00a3600 for my family. No one expected me to come down as they all knew about my circumstances.<\/p>\n

\u201cStupidly I didn\u2019t have a groin protector on at all as I\u2019d forgotten it and after an accidental low blow the fight was stopped. My testicle ballooned for the next three weeks, I couldn\u2019t even sit down on the toilet but I did it all for my daughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI joke I had a kick in the balls two weeks before the fight, only to suffer a punch to them during it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Billy takes pride in the fact in over 10 bare knuckle boxing and over 26 gloved boxing fights – he is still yet to be knocked out. He fought in fights promoted by the UK\u2019s \u2018scariest debt collector\u2019 Shaun Smith under BKB organisation, narrowly missing out on two Scottish titles. He later tasted success winning gloved belts in several SimplyMatched categories.<\/p>\n

\"Billy<\/p>\n

‘[The sport] has gone mainstream now and I want my reward'(Image: REACH PLC\/Callum Moffat)<\/p>\n

Despite being 38, and with an admittedly broken body, he feels he has unfinished business in the bare knuckle boxing world. Billy had to take a step back from the sport due to personal reasons, and he wants one last bite at the cherry to have an opportunity to cash in on the sport he helped grow.<\/p>\n

The bare knuckle scene has shot to notoriety with Connor McGregor\u2019s BKFC and Darren Till\u2019s Gorilla Promotions throwing millions into putting the sport on the map. Billy describes bare knuckle fighting as a young man\u2019s game but he feels he is in the best shape of his life and ready to make a return later this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has gone mainstream now and I want my reward,\u201d he said. \u201cI was there in the beginning and sadly had to miss out for a number of reasons from being injured to having to sort my life out outside the ring.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m gutted I\u2019m not there at the top. I\u2019ve invested a lot in the sport and come close to titles but lost out due to breaking my hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was six seconds away from a bare knuckle boxing title but the ref stopped it. It is why I moved into gloved fighting. I had to let my hands recover but now I feel great and in the best shape of my life.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is becoming a young man’s game – you cannot be old with scar tissues and injuries. You need to be fresh which is how I started but now I\u2019m broken.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I was late in starting, so I still have mileage in the tank. I always said I\u2019d retire when my body failed me or someone knocks me out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve long had a fascination with being knocked out and I funnily enough want to go out that way. It\u2019s how my own journey started with knocking someone else out.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019ll do everything to make sure that doesn\u2019t happen. I still reckon I can beat these guys coming up, I just need my shot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Billy has built a career alongside his landscaping in the bare knuckle and gloved boxing world, fighting, promoting, training and acting as a corner man. He believes the community has allowed him to grow as a person and to focus on helping others with their careers in the space but the bare knuckle world is not something he encourages entering.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t get excited about hurting a guy and I have no fear about getting hurt,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m wired differently, I watch all the fights before I step in the ring, I like to get in the mindset I\u2019m just a fan stepping up.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt keeps me nice and calm. I can\u2019t be separated from it all cooped up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would not advise getting into the bare knuckle game now, the fighters are all top level. I\u2019d advise just joining a gym to get fit, learning how to defend yourself and build friendships.\u201d<\/p>\n

You can follow Billy through his TikTok here.<\/a><\/p>\n