A sports club in Preston which charged adults £25 a ticket to watch a fight between two 18-month-old boys has denied that the toddlers in question were being exploited.
The controversial cot-fight between Tommy ‘Rusk-crusher’ Jones and Benny ‘Bedwetter’ Benson was eventually stopped in the third round because it was time for the challenger’s afternoon nap. Club owner Barry Hardwick defended the contest, saying ‘No one forces these toddlers to fight – all we do is put one really nice toy in the cot; after that, it’s up to them what they get up to.’
When it was pointed out that Tommy was crying loudly throughout the bout, Mr Hardwick said, ‘Well they do that, don’t they?’ He also defended the lack of gum shields on the grounds that ‘they haven’t got many teeth yet and they’re going to fall out in a few years anyway.’ He also pointed out the extensive padding worn by the youngsters, all be it mainly in the nappy area.