Warring Gypsy families end five-year feud over ‘woman’ with brutal bare-knuckle fight

Bare-knuckle fighting may seem a brutal and bloody sport but for the Gypsy community it is a way of life.

For generations, warring families have ended their feuds by throwing punches in medieval-style brawls.

Fair Play Men are enlisted to help train those involved, find suitable venues and referee the scraps.

Tony Giles, an MMA pro, is a Fair Play Man for the South East and has set up countless fights.

He claims that “money comes second to fighting and honour” in the Gypsy community and you are “a lot more respected being the roughest Gypsy than the richest.”

On Channel 5’s Here Come the Gypsies, he is called by one member of a family who wants to settle things once and for all with his rivals.

Tony and cousin Johnny Saunders are asked to train one fighter each after an ongoing five-year feud that started over a woman on a night out has escalated into a war of words online which is “getting worse by the day”.

The families live within two miles of each other and are both scared to leave their homes for fear of bumping into their rivals out and about.

“The sooner this fight happens the better,” Tony says.

Later in the show, the duo go about finding the venue for the brawl.

They discover a derelict plot of land off a street which is overlooked by neighbors. To avoid any unwanted call to the police, they park vans around the perimeter so it cannot be overlooked.

And to stop more guests than wanted showing up, Tony and Johnny only tell the families of the location on the morning of the fight.

With the venue sorted, the brawl can finally take place and neither fighter pulls their punches.

They each connect blow after blow to the other’s face and come back for more.

Johnny and Tony stand watch to make sure it doesn’t get out of hand and no other family members get involved.

Such is the hatred between the families, Tony knows that the fighters would rather “die” than “dishonour their families”.

So, as the brawl turns more and more violent, he decides to put an end to it.

He instructs the duo to shake hands and calls the fight a draw.

“Boys, listen, I have both your words that it’s done now yeah?” Tony asks.

“Shake hands, a lot of bad blood is done now.”

He later adds: “It’s done. So when they go to a restaurant they don’t have to worry about bumping into one of them. It’s put to bed now.

“If not, I’m going to be angry.”

Here Come the Gypsies! continues next Wednesday on Channel 5 at 9pm.