A Rough N' Rowdy boxing match quickly devolved into chaos after a fighter and his brother appeared to be arrested inside the ring for inciting a brawl .
On Friday, Zach Abel and Mikey Bets faced off in the main event of Rough N' Rowdy 25, a promotion staged by Barstool Sports. Though most viewers believed Abel comfortably won the fight, judges crowned Bets the winner, sparking a fierce reaction both online and inside the ring.
Shortly after the judges decision was announced, Abel and his brother Spencer - who fought the “Non-Binary Ninja” in the co-main event - rushed over to Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy and personality Dan “Big Cat” Katz to plead their case. Several moments later, a full brawl featuring several team members from each fighters’ corner kicked off inside the ring.
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One clip from the event appears to show the first punch thrown in the scuffle, as Abel lands a left-hand jab to the face of someone from Bets’ corner. Spencer immediately followed up the shot by taking another swing at the individual, but he failed to connect.
As the quarrel continued to spiral out of control, officials donning police uniforms rushed into the ring and tackled the Abel brothers. Several officers pinned Spencer down on the mat and attempted to place him in handcuffs, but not before he managed to wave to the camera placed in front of him.
Fans online swiftly took to social media to share their thoughts on the bizarre scene, with many struggling to comprehend what they just witnessed. “#RnR25 might have some of the best knockouts and wildest endings I've ever seen!” one X user wrote, with another adding: “I’ve seen many boxing events, worked more than I can count. I’ve never seen police not only rush the ring, but put someone in cuffs. What the hell is going on?”
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Others had a hard time believing what they were watching was real, alleging that the post-fight brawl was staged. “Fake, no one’s buying these things so trying to drum up any kind of drama,” someone commented under the clip posted to X. A fourth said: “Can’t believe I fell for this trash.”
Back in 2017, Barstool Sports acquired Rough N' Rowdy with the hope of building it into a profitable pay-per-view fighting experience. At the time, the event was garnering approximately 13,000 PPV purchases, and had grown to more than 40,000 buys just one year later.
But Rough N' Rowdy has struggled to generate considerable buzz as of late, with Portnoy conceding ahead of RNR 25 that he might soon discontinue it. “I may bring an end to Rough n’ Rowdy if I don’t like the numbers here,” he said during an episode of The Unnamed Show. “It’s a lot of work.”
When pressed further by podcast co-hosts Kirk Minihane and Ryan Whitney, Portnoy added: “It’s pretty expensive to put together. I want at least 20,000 pay-per-view buys.”
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