Star New Jersey High School fighter, Anthony Knox, has been accused of simple-purpose assault/knowingly causing bodily injuries after allegedly participating in a fight in the stands in a tournament last month, according to the New York Post.
Knox and his father, Anthony Knox Mr., were arrested after the fight in Collingswood High School dissipated. Knox Jr. had already won his match for St. John Vianney High School, which verified another key box on his way to a fourth consecutive expected title of New Jersey in his class of weight.
The judicial documents obtained by the publication and the videos on social networks reveal that a person who is supposedly Knox Jr. ran the stands to join the fight in high school.
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Anthony Knox de San Juan Vianney defeated Charles Gold de Manchester for technical fall in his quarterfinal match of 126 pounds from the Tournament of Region 7 of Njsiaa on February 28, 2025 in Lacey, NJ (Peter Ackerman/USA Today Network through IMAGN images)
“The defendant entered the designated section of the opposite team of the gymnasium’s stands during the 25th District fighting tournament, where he proceeded to hit [redacted] On the face and head repeatedly, what resulted in bruises and pain in the right temple area, “the complaint said.
Knox Jr. was disqualified by the Interscholastic Athletic Association of the State of New Jersey (NJSIAA) of the participation in the tournament until the judge of the Superior Court of Mercer County, Patrick Bartels, granted him a temporary restriction order of his prohibition, which allows him to compete in the tournament of the region 7.
Knox Jr. won his party and will compete for his fourth consecutive state title this weekend.
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Knox Jr. issued a statement explaining why he joined the fight, in which he said that his father approached the opposite team to address the alleged insults.
“During the final matches, the atmosphere of the crowd became increasingly hostile towards me and my teammates due to our success,” said Knox Jr.’s statement, which Bartels asked him. “The insults were thrown towards us. Apparently, my father approached people throwing the insults and asked them to stop.
“In response, I saw these people to tie the progress to attack my father and was demolished and completely surrounded by rebel people. My immediate reaction was to run near the section to help in the protection and safety of my father and my mother, who was with me.
Anthony Knox of San Juan Vianney controls Owen Gardner of Paul VI during the 126-pound fight in the final round of the Lucha del Lucha 25 de Fuadrerio Tournament on February 22, 2025. Knox defeated Gardner, 17-2. (IMAGN)
The Knox family also participated in an interview with ABC7, where Knox Mr. said that “racial insults” were said towards children in the mats below.
“[I] I saw a group of adult men shouting racial insults to the children I have been training since they were 6 years old, cursing my son, cursing my wife, “said Knox Mr., a former MMA fighter.
“As a man, I approached, climbed to the stands and asked the guy who stopped. At that time, I was assaulted. I never threw a blow. I never hurt anyone. I never ran there like a bat of a hell that only threw people blows to people. None of that happened.
The initial response of the NJSIAA, after reviewing the online video evidence, was to disqualify Knox Jr., the best classified fighter in the weight of 126 pounds in the country, of the state tournament. Then, after Bartels’s decision on the matter, the recipient body said it would appeal the decision of the court, with which “they disagree.”
Anthony Knox by St. John Vianney competes in the quarterfinal match of 126 pounds of the Tournament of Region 7 of Njsiaa on February 28, 2025 in Lacey, NJ (Peter Ackerman/USA Today Network through IMAGN images)
Knox Jr. is a Cornell commitment that had a “hard conversation” with his future chief coach, Mike Gray, about the situation that took place in CollingSwood High School. Gray told NJ.com that the state of Knox Jr. with the university has not been affected by the incident, and plans to have it on his list every time he enrolls.
Knox Jr. defeated Aidan Flynn of Lacey High School to win the title of Region 7 in the weight of 126 pounds, preparing for a game that would make him the fifth fighter in the state to win four consecutive titles of New Jersey.
