'He got planted': The story behind the viral video of a boxing knockout at Peoria Fight Club

PEORIA — Robert Bryant's vision for Peoria Fight Club is about redemption and life changes. He hosts amateur boxing matches in Peoria, often at undisclosed locations circulated by word-of-mouth.

But vision aside, not even he saw what was coming on July 22 when big Rakiem Campbell blasted Kenny Wells to sleep with a thundering right hand as the heavyweights battled in a Peoria backyard, with spectators gathered around — including Wells' family.

"Dad!" a child yelled as Wells crumbled to the floor in a video that is well on its way to viral.

"When it happened I wasn't expecting it," said Bryant, a 34-year-old foundry worker for Caterpillar. "Kenny is a great defensive fighter. He came in with a game plan and was using it.

"But the way Rakiem hit him, it sounded like a Mack truck. He got planted, and I just froze for a few seconds."

The winning fighter is a 31-year-old 6-foot-3, 240-pounder who works now as a bouncer at Big Al's Speakeasy in downtown Peoria. The ladies feel safe with him on watch, says Bryant.

"Hey, you're the dude on the internet," Campbell said, talking about being approached the last few days over the video of his knockout punch. "It's amazing. It has everyone's reaction. My face was in shock, when I hit him, I was stunned.

"I don't try to knock people out in PFC bouts. He swung, I went under and came up on him and caught his jaw. I was thinking, 'Wow.' "

Campbell, whose ring name is "The Beast," is 31-9 in Peoria Fight Club, and those nine losses have come from four fighters, one of whom was Wells, a 34-year-old 6-1, 230-pound construction worker from Decatur.

Campbell has been Peoria Fight Club's heavyweight champion in the past, although the current champ is Chicago native Tyrone Johnson, who has gone pro.

As for the viral video, Bryant said "they blow up sometimes. We've had videos reach 5-10 million views. People love it and they find us."

And they will no doubt find a video of a rematch between Campbell and Wells. A rematch has been set for Aug. 19.

"It was Rakiem's third fight in a row that went viral," Bryant said. "He's trying to turn his life around. Always in and out of trouble as a kid, but boxing has given him direction and helped turn his life around."

What is the Peoria Fight Club?

A foundry worker for Caterpillar in Mapleton, the 34-year-old Bryant serves as referee, promoter and, often, mentor to those trying to turn their lives around. He founded Peoria Fight Club a few years ago as an outlet to resolve individual disputes a different way.

The slogan is: "Guns down, gloves up."

More: 'Guns down, gloves up': Peoria Fight Club is big hit

The club was drawing 1,200 spectators for Saturday cards at a nightclub location in Bartonville for two years. They are currently outdoors in the summer months while looking for another indoor location long-term. When indoors, Fight Club will stage 15-20 fights on a Saturday once a month. When outdoors, it's 7-10 fights.

"It got so big that I have guys coming in from Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin, California, Virginia and New York to fight," Bryant said. "They use our Peoria hotels, eat in our restaurants, shop here, bring people to town with them.

"Some of these guys, by next year, will be pro fighters."

Peoria boxer has a redemption story

Rakiem Campbell has a hard story to tell. He attended behavioral classes at Trewyn as a kid. He would have been a Peoria High School student, but he never saw the inside of a high school.

Instead, he saw the inside of a prison cell.

"I was the kid who in 2007 dropped a brick over the bridge on I-74 in Peoria," Campbell said.

The 15-pound patio block, lobbed up over an 8-foot high fence on the Broadway Avenue overpass, struck a car in which 26-year-old Katrina Kelley was riding. She later died from chest injuries.

Campbell plead guilty to vehicular endangerment, drew a 15-year sentence, got seven more years from charges for unrelated incidents, and headed to prison, his eventual final destination being Danville Correctional Center.

"I don't look for anyone to judge me," he said. "I went and did my time. I take nothing for granted. I got 22 years at age 16. Got my GED. I was transferred to adult corrections and got out after 11 years. It's part of who I am. I understand that."

While in prison, Campbell said he was a quiet inmate but would be forced into fights and had to protect himself.

"I'd fight to protect myself, and I didn't lose any of those. No one beat me," Campbell said. "I love being outside. I hear birds chirping in the morning. I can talk to people. Being inside a steel cage and concrete is depressing."

Being inside a boxing ring, however, is freedom for him.

"I get in the ring, I like what I'm doing," Campbell said. "I feel like I belong there. I feel like I'm a top heavyweight. I'm letting Robert train me, and I want to get out of the backyard and fight in the ring as a pro.

"That knockout, it was a moment in my life. But there's a lot more to my story than that video."

Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Story behind the viral knockout video at Peoria Fight Club