Bare-knuckle boxing vs Kendo
Bare-knuckle boxing and Kendo side by side, from the facts recorded for each art.
| Bare-knuckle boxing | Kendo | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | England | Japan |
| Type | boxing | gendai budō, budō and martial arts |
| Notable practitioners here | 14 | 1 |
| Top countries of practitioners | United States, United Kingdom and Italy | Japan |
| Equipment and weapons | — | shinai, bōgu, hakama and keikogi |
| Belt ranks | — | Yes |
Bare-knuckle boxing
Bare-knuckle boxing (also known as bare-knuckle or bare-knuckle fighting) is a full-contact combat sport in which participants box without any form of padding on the hands. The sport, as it is known today, originated in 17th-century England and, although similar, it differs from street fighting as it follows an accepted set of rules.
From the Wikipedia article Bare-knuckle boxing (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Kendo
Kendo (Japanese: 剣道, Hepburn: Kendō; lit. 'sword way' or 'sword path' or 'way of the sword') is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords (shinai) as well as protective armor (bōgu). It began as samurai warriors' customary swordsmanship exercises, and today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spread to many other nations across the world.
From the Wikipedia article Kendo (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Facts from Wikidata (CC0): Q1424950, Q170931. Practitioner counts are the people with a profile on this site. Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.