The tradition continues to this day, in parts of England.
I remember reading a feature in a magazine [possibly Penthouse} about bare knuckle/all-in fights in the West country [Cornwall,Devon]. The girls were mostly farm girls/country dwellers and topless or nude. No weapons were used; and the fights were normally in barns, with the "ring" being bales of straw. The fights were not publicised, to avoid the attention of the local police. The feature had pictures, showing blood, bruises etc, to the faces and bodies of the participants
I believe similar fights took place in the north-west, around Manchester and in Cheshire, and probably still do - although I never got to see any, despite all my best efforts.
