Dambe Rules

For the Hausa butchers of Africa, boxing was a time honored tradition. Their version was known as Dambe and carried a very particular and unusual set of rules. A dambe fighter keeps one hand tightly bound in hemp wraps, while the other hand is left free. The Spear and the Shield. You may only strike with your wrapped spear, and you may grapple and defend with your free Shield. I haven’t seen this practice anywhere else in the world. For my next fight, I wanted to bring this to the forefront.

While my opponent will be free to wear what they wish and fight how they wish, I will be required to adhere to the Spear and Shield system. This will drastically change my fighting style and should prove an intriguing challenge.

We received several bidders on the Dambe Rules contract, but one stood out more than any other.