When one thinks of contact sports, the first thing that comes to mind is boxing, judo, taekwondo, Greco-Roman wrestling and mixed martial arts (known by the acronym in English MMA), but one would never think of a slapping fight However, This practice began to become popular in recent times and is committed to becoming something important thanks to its viralization on social networks.
Born in Russia and conquering more and more spectators in the United States, the slap fight (or slap fight, by its name in English) surprises with the rudeness of the blows and the consequences they leave on the faces of the opponents, who tend to stagger and even collapse before the “schiaffo” (as the Italian immigrants used to say).
Without stage, protection, or gloves: a simple table separates the opponentswho take turns to receive the powerful slaps clean cheeks.
In the lands of the Eurasian power, the first slapping world championship was held in 2019: the winner, Vasily Kamotskiy, weighing 142 kilos, took the modest sum of 30,000 rubles (about 450 euros).
Thanks to viral videos, this practice crossed the iron curtain and reached the United States, where it was quickly seen that it could be fertile ground for business. Before, it had also taken root in countries like Poland and Romania.
In that sense, in October 2022 the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) Nevada approved slap fighting as a sport, which is why it issued authorization so that evenings similar to those of boxing or MMA could be held.
With that step, the sports rules were established: a coin tossed defines who gives the first slap; only blows with an open hand are allowed; whoever receives the slap has 30 seconds to recover.
“It’s the ultimate test of endurance,” was the definition of magnate Dana White, owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Power Slap, the firm with which he organizes slap fights. But, just like in boxing, there are different leagues and associations, so the business is split between different players.
These duels are not exclusive to male opponents, but rather Women have also dabbled in this sport.
As if the viralization on social networks were not enough, the dissemination of this practice had the support of sports figures (and the media) such as bodybuilder, actor and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who included slap fighting in the 2022 edition of its popular “Arnold Sports Festival”; the Russian influencer Hasbulla and the actor Mark Wahlberg were part of the promotion of some fights; and the former boxer Mike Tyson, who a few days ago attended an evening and spread it on his social networks.
Questions are the order of the day by those who consider that it is not a sport, but despite this, the slapping fight is gaining ground (and dollars): now it seeks to land in Latin America and Colombia will be the first test for the region, as announced by the SlapFIGHT Championship league.
