Hamilton man Cameron Harcourt (left), with an opponent at the King of the Street event on 24 May. Photo: Supplied
A participant in a controversial street fighting competition is defending it, saying amateur tournaments remove violence from the streets.
An unregulated tournament promoted by New Zealand mixed martial arts fighter Dan Hooker was held in a suburban Auckland backyard on Saturday 24 May, with 32 combatants competing for a $50,000 prize.
Hooker said the only major injury was to a fighter's arm and signalled plans to host further events, despite criticism.
New Zealand Boxing Coaches Association president Billy Meehan described the event as "thuggery, not sport", but Hamilton fighter Cameron Harcourt, who travelled up for the event, said the backlash was unfair.
"We're going to fight anyway," he said. "There's fights on the streets.
"The same way Streetbeefs in America started to get the fights off the streets. If you had beef, you apply for this and you jump in, and it gives us a place to do it in a controlled environment.
"The thuggery is taken out and we've turned it into a sport."
Streetbeefs is an unregulated American backyard fighting club and You Tube channel, hosting different combat codes. The founders said it was established as a response to more "dangerous forms of street and gun violence".
Cameron Harcourt (right) says the Auckland backyard fighting event took violence off the street and put it in a controlled environment. Photo: Supplied
Police are investigating one fighter from the Saturday event, who was seen wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet in social media footage of his fight.
Harcourt said he wanted to prove that the fights were a fair playing field, and not all about "tattoos and gang affiliations".
"Nothing changes what someone is - we're all humans. Doesn't matter about your colour, your size, your age, your background, we're all people and we all bleed.
"I think it is a good sport and I love fighting for that."
Up to nine different gangs were reportedly represented at the tournament. Fighters had to sign a waiver before taking part, stipulating that involvement was at their discretion.
He said, unlike team sports like rugby, he enjoyed how he was the only person accountable, if the fight did not go his way.
"You're stuck in a ring with contact and you just feel alive, and it's just sick," he said. "It's also art.
"You can create your combos and perform them. It's just a wicked sport."
Although billed as an amateur event, it is understood a professional fighter won the tournament.
Harcourt hoped to contest a planned tournament in Christchurch later this year.
Fighters in unsanctioned event covered by ACC
The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) suggests participants of amateur street fighting events will be covered under the scheme, as it did not require details of how injuries occur.
An agency spokesperson said the scheme operated on a no-fault basis.
"All New Zealanders pay levies in different ways. The money we collect goes into one of our five accounts.
"We use each account to cover specific types of injuries. For example, if someone is injured playing sports, the money used to support their recovery is dependent on their individual circumstances."
Last year, the cost of active ACC claims for sport and recreation injuries exceeded $1 billion, while accidental injuries in the home and community, which covered injuries from assaults and also concussion, cost more than $2.3 billion.
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