Themed “One Family One Flag”, a one-of-a-kind program brought a group of dangerous gang members together to form a less violent way of life. What happened next shocked many, as their truce could have never anticipated what their newfound camaraderie would lead to – the birth of an Olympic sport. This is the story of how a New York gang truce spawned a new Olympic sport.
Gang Life on the Streets of New York
Before this story begins, it is important to understand the state of gang violence and tensions on the streets of New York in the late 1980s. Life could be particularly violent for youth in different boroughs – gang related homicides in the Bronx were at their highest in 1989, with homicides in all boroughs reaching a 10-year peak.
The Birth of a New York Gang Truce
In 1988, the Reverend Louis Barbato, an influential figure in Brooklyn boroughs, found a way to mediate this tension and bring these groups of gangs together. He along with the late Mike Soto, and a host of other influential members of the society, helped cooperate and negotiate a gang truce. This was an ambitious move for its time, as it aimed to reduce violence and consequently, the various crimes that were rampant throughout New York city.
The Creation of a New Sport Named ‘Knox’
The gangs that came together weren’t ready to just accept a ceasefire while they lived on the same streets. Instead, they saw the power that the unity of these gangs could bring and in turn, wanted to create a way to express this newfound family spirit. This expression came in the form of a new and unique sport known as Knox, an acronym for the phrase ‘Knuckle up or Knock Out’.
The Rules of Knox
Knox is a sport that has a set of rules that mirror boxing, but with more lenient measures taken when strikes are thrown. This sport is based on rounds, whereby one member of a gang is pitted against another. The goal is to score points while avoiding getting hit. If one fighter looks to be in trouble, the other fighter has the option of ‘holding’ them, which will end the round. The fighter with the most points at the end is, logically, declared the winner.
Organizing Gang Fights
The fights were not just free flowing – they were organized by respected gang members and given a time and place to occur. This new system, accompanied with the unique rules of Knox, meant that these gang fights did not necessarily need to be fatal and could be likened to a gentlemanly contest, where the goal is not to harm the opponent, but to prevail.
The Message: One Family One Flag
The gang truce message was simple – ‘One Family One Flag’. This meant that despite the numerous gangs that were uniting for this ceasefire, there were still to be considerations taken towards their needs and wants. Their message was that this ceasefire was meant to help uplift the gangs and better their capital, cohesion, and outlook on life.
The Rise of a New Olympic Sport
The presence of Knox in these gangs began to draw attention from different channels around Brooklyn. Soon enough members of the sporting arena began to take notice of this new form of combat. They quickly determined that the rules of Knox, its non-lethal nature, and the controlled nature of these fights presented an opportunity to set up a more organized sport.
The Formation of ‘Global Mixed Martial Arts Association’
This organization was to oversee and regulate this sport, while also providing a platform for elite-status Knox fighters to showcase their talents. Thus in 1989, an organization named Global Mixed Martial Arts Association (GMMA) was formed with the mission to regulate the sport, as well as to promote it as an Olympic sport eventually.
The International Recognition of Knox
The rise of the GMMA did not stop here; soon enough the sport travelled beyond the United States and to places across the world. The organization reached out to other like-minded Mixed Martial Arts clubs and consolidated the rules of the different forms of combat. This meant that Knox was to travel beyond New York and beyond Brooklyn.
The Birth of an Olympic Sport
It was the cooperation of these clubs and the ability of the GMMA to develop and incorporate new rules to the sport that eventually made Knox an Olympic sport. In 2004, Knox was admitted as an Olympic sport and this stunning success was celebrated by the original proponents of it as well as the influential members they sought to help in Brooklyn.
This is the story of how a daring move by a group of passionate and influential members of society inspired a gang truce to lead to the birth of an Olympic sport. The GMMA, the support of its associated clubs, the hard work of its original proponents, and more importantly, the admirable spirit of camaraderie that inspired this movement were all instrumental to the success of this story. This is how a New York gang truce got new life and transformed into the Knox Olympics sport.
