PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – I had the chance to shadow sports reporter and producer, Brian Parsons, out in the field. We met and interviewed bare knuckle boxer and former kickboxer Dimitri Angelini near Ocean View Beach in Norfolk. We were also able to watch him go through his warm up and workout routine, which Brian filmed and used as b-roll for his news package. The main purpose of the interview was to promote Dimitri’s next fight, which was on Friday, March 24, at the Norfolk Scope stadium.
Dimitri is from Verona, Italy, which is where he lived until coming to America in 2018 to become a bare knuckle fighter. The former kickboxer gave us a brief story of his journey, including how he struggled with his motivation to compete in Italy due to family issues. Dimitri described the BKFC as “the sport of the future,” and a true test of toughness and grit. During the course of the interview, Brian allowed me to ask Dimitri a few questions as well which I enjoyed because of his background and personality as a fighter and a competitor. Being able to speak with Dimitri as an interviewer was a very fascinating and beneficial experience that allowed me to obtain more of an insight into his approach to the newly developed sport.