Former boxing and bare knuckle champion Bobby Gunn wanted for vehicular manslaughter

According to Boxing Scene the New Jersey State Police issued an alert yesterday seeking the public’s help in finding former cruiserweight boxer, and bare…

By: Tim Bissell | 3 years ago
Former boxing and bare knuckle champion Bobby Gunn wanted for vehicular manslaughter
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

According to Boxing Scene the New Jersey State Police issued an alert yesterday seeking the public’s help in finding former cruiserweight boxer, and bare knuckle fighter, Bobby Gunn, 46. The alert stated that Gunn is wanted for vehicular manslaughter.

Police suspect Gunn, who resided in Hackensack, NJ, of driving under the influence and then causing a collision in South Jersey on September 28, 2019. Gunn is accused of driving his Dodge Ram pickup truck into the wrong lane and hitting a Hyundai Elantra head on. Polly Tornari, 51, was killed in the collision. Her husband, Robert Tonari, was seriously injured.

Gunn was assessed to be under the influence during the time of the crash. He was only charged with vehicular manslaughter on Tuesday. The long period of time between the incident and formal charges is not unusual. It takes considerable time for forensic scientists to analyze scenes of vehicle accidents and determine what, if any, criminal charges are appropriate. UFC veteran Des Green experienced a similarly long period between being involved in a fatal collision and being charged with multiple counts of manslaughter.

New Jersey police believe Gunn was in Maricopa County, AZ in February. They are asking the public to call their Fugitive Unit tip line at 1-800-437-7839 if they have information on Gunn’s whereabouts. Callers may remain anonymous.

As a professional boxer Gunn amassed a 21-7-1-1 record between 1989 and 2017. During that time Gunn won the IBA World Cruiserweight Title and WBC, WBA and IBC Intercontinental Cruiserweight Title. His last bout was a loss to Roy Jones Jr. for the WBF World Cruiserweight Title.

Gunn is also a well-known bare knuckle boxer who claimed the lineal world heavyweight championship. In 2018 Gunn appeared at BKFC 1, defeating Irineau Beato Costa Jr. by first round KO.

Share this story

About the author
Tim Bissell
Tim Bissell

Tim Bissell is a writer, editor and deputy site manager for Bloody Elbow. He has covered combat sports since 2015. Tim covers news and events and has also written longform and investigative pieces. Among Tim's specialties are the intersections between crime and combat sports. Tim has also covered head trauma, concussions and CTE in great detail.

Tim is also BE's lead (only) sumo reporter. He blogs about that sport here and on his own substack, Sumo Stomp!

Email me at tim@bloodyelbow.com. Nice messages will get a response.

More from the author

Bloody Elbow Podcast
Related Stories