Thirteen Sheffield: Former pro boxer opens Kelham Island's only sports bar

Chris Dutton and his wife, Sarah, are launching their venture – Thirteen – in Kelham Island on Friday, June 13.

It is the only sports bar in the trendy and popular Sheffield suburb.

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The 41-year-old says the new sports bar will be unique to Kelham Island.

"There’ll nothing like it,” he said.

The bar is be equipped with six screens for sports including football, cricket and boxing.

One television will be dedicated to horse racing and a hige 98” inch TV will be used for all the main events.

The venue is also equipped with a pool table and dart boards.

“Coming from a sporting background and the fact that there’ll be nothing like this around Kelham Island, it’s going to be unique. The wife and I thought this was a great opportunity for us to start a new venture, we are going to run it as a family, and we hope everyone will enjoy it.” said Chris.

Chris explained that there weren't many opportunities for him growing up around Killamarsh and raised in a broken home.

At the age of 32 he joined the boxing scene, he said.

“I have always been a fighter and boxing just felt like the right thing to do,” Chris explained.

During his boxing career, he suffered a broken leg and with judges’ decisions going against him, he became disenchanted with the sport and left to pursue new things.

“During the past five years I became bored with just getting up and going to work. I wanted something different, then a good friend of mine, Martin Mcgrail (owner of the SteelYard) offered me the opportunity to open up my own bar and I jumped at the chance,” he said.

The name of the new member of the SteelYard family ‘Thirteen’ is also unique and special to both Chris and Sarah, as he explained.

“I was born on the 13th; I was engaged on the 13th, we married on the 13th. Even when we went out to celebrate this new chapter of our lives, the restaurant sat us at table 13 and the bottle of prosecco we ordered also had 13 on it, so we took that as a sign,” said Chris.

“My original name for the bar was going to be Dutton’s Bar but there is another bar in Manchester with that name, so 13 became our lucky number really.”

The official opening is Friday, June 13 and will see many famous sporting and television personalities such as the current European Super Lightweight Champion Dalton Smith, former Welterweight Champion Kell Brook and Emmerdale star, Dean Andrews.

The party will start at 12pm and will go on to late.

Chris also explained that even though they won’t be doing food on the night, he has managed to strike a deal with local street food vendors.

“Each table will have QR codes that you can scan and order your food, and they will bring it to your table, saving you the trouble of leaving.

“And also being a DJ for many years, I know how to make a night memorable.” Chris said.