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Bryce Hall tests skills with Gee Perez at BKFC 48 on August 11th.

The fistic fireworks take place at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The broadcast transpires on Fite TV as well as the Bare Knuckle TV app.

Hall spoke to Dylan Bowker of Bare Knuckle News before the bout. Excerpts from the chat are below.

Bryce Hall

It seems like you’re getting in a lot of hard work with dual division BKFC champ/number two pound-for-pound ranked fighter in the company, Lorenzo Hunt. The BKFC cruiserweight champion Hunt will also corner you for this fight as cruiserweight contender Chris Camozzi will corner Perez. What’s the entire timeline for that dynamic with ‘The Juggernaut’ Hunt and who reached out to who for the training?

“I actually asked the BKFC to connect me with him. I’ve seen his highlight knockouts, I’ve seen his power, and I think we have a similar-ish build. Gee Perez is coming up to the 165 weight. I’m going down to 165 but I’m a built guy. So I feel like our fighting styles would be similar in the sense of we’re the big bullies waking around just hitting hard.”

What was your first exposure to the sport of bare-knuckle boxing?

“Bare-knuckle is blowing up. I think it’s gonna be a massive sport, especially after August 11th and people see the first influencer try it out. I wanted to do it because I know I hit hard and I know I have knockout power. I’ve knocked people out. In my last fight, I didn’t get to prove anything over some *******. This is in a sense my redemption – to do a bare-knuckle fight against a 3-0 bare-knuckle fighter in his prime, so…”

Photo credit to Phil Lambert/BKFC

BKFC

This would seem like a win-win, almost where if you even have a valiant showing, it can open up opportunities in gloved boxing and perhaps more bare-knuckle. Is that kind of how you’re looking at it as well?

“I’m gonna be the first and only influencer to ever do this I would assume. I think a lot of influencers are going to say they want to try it, but they’re not going to. I think once they see what happens on August 11th, they’re going to realize it’s way too brutal for them. I’m not scared. I’m not scared to get punched in the face. Not scared to punch someone in the face bare-knuckle. I’ve done it. This is something that I just want to do (laughs). I want to do it.”

When did Gee Perez get on the radar and when did the bad blood/slapping at weigh-ins/post-fight callouts start ramping up with him?

“I think once I announced that I was doing like a bare-knuckle fight, because we were already in contact with Dave Feldman, Gee Perez saw an opportunity to hop on. Like oh man, I want to fight this influencer for an easy – like, oh I’m going to get this influencer and beat his ***, blah, blah, blah. Then I watched his fights. I saw that he was 3-0 or 2-0 at the time. I was like, ok let me see what this guy is about.”

Bryce Hall continued, “Noticed that he fights at like 125-135, lightweight. So I thought like ok, this fight wouldn’t happen, he’s way too light for me. Then he made another video saying that he would fight me at any weight. So then I was like ok, not really impressed with anything that he’s done. He’s a good fighter but I wasn’t like oh ****, I’m scared to fight this guy. I think I can get the best of this dude. Let’s sign the contract, let’s run it. 165, we’ll meet in the middle.”

BKFC 48

The aforementioned work with Lorenzo Hunt would provide you a great chance to sit under one of the better learning trees in the sport since Hunt has such high fight IQ. What have you gleaned from him regarding this sport and how has the work with him bolstered your understanding of this game?

“I’m learning a lot more of like the inside fighting, grappling. I was a wrestler growing up, very comfortable with grappling. I know there’s a lot of different rules when it comes to BKFC vs like, actual boxing. To be honest, I could see that working heavily in my favor because of my wrestling background. So this fight, I’m going to be a dog… I’m going to be patient, but if it comes to being on the inside, I don’t think Gee Perez is going to want to be there.”

Poster courtesy of BKFC

Bryce Hall vs Gee Perez

To use the parlance of pro wrestling, it seems like you’re relishing in the heel role for this one being the influencer interloper into BKFC. Gee Perez is also BKFC’s cut man and a pretty endeared figure in the bare-knuckle community. Is that a fair characterization of the mindset/approach heading into this one?

“(laughs) I mean I’m going in as like the massive underdog. I don’t think there’s a villain nature to my persona. I think I’m going to go in there, I’m going to do my thing, and I’m going to get a lot of people pissed when I beat their boy up, I guess.”

The post Bryce Hall on Bare Knuckle Debut at BKFC 48 appeared first on Bare Knuckle News.

JR Ridge tests skills with John Dodson for the inaugural BKFC flyweight title at BKFC 48 on August 11th.

The fistic fireworks take place at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The broadcast transpires on Fite TV as well as the Bare Knuckle TV app.

Ridge spoke to Dylan Bowker of Bare Knuckle News before the bout. Excerpts from the chat are below.

JR Ridge

After your last fight, you called for both a title shot and a fight with John Dodson. How did you feel getting the bout offer and realizing you’d be getting both of these things?

“Yeah, absolutely, you know. Whenever they started the 125 weight class, I knew I was going to be a top contender to fight for the belt. I didn’t know when but I knew that I was definitely going to be a top contender for the belt. I knew John Dodson was coming in. Of course John is a phenomenal athlete. He’s a big name, he’s done a lot for the combat sports, he’s got a lot of experience obviously, I mean.”

“But yeah, the fact that he comes into the weight class and says that he’s gonna take over 125, of course I’m an athlete. If somebody’s standing in my way or someone’s trying to take my spot, I can’t let that happen. But it was destined for John and I to fight because he’s a top-tier athlete.”

“I just knew that he and I were going to face off, whether if it was for the belt, or whoever had the belt at the time. But luckily, with all the timing of everything, of course John and I are fighting for the belt finally. Now we’re going to have a champion for the weight class.”

Photo credit to Phil Lambert/BKFC

BKFC

You’ve been a fixture in the flyweight rankings since they have been established and have more experience in bare knuckle than Dodson. As much as he has BKFC experience and had prolific KOs in MMA, do you think your localized experience here will prove to be the biggest difference-maker in the fight?

“Well not necessarily just because John has done a lot of MMA fights, you know. He’s done a lot of things in the MMA world and I’ve done a lot of things in the sport that I came up in, in Sanshou. I feel like the years of experience behind both of us, it’s just going to be an exciting fight.”

“There’s no doubt in my mind that it (won’t) be a boring fight, obviously (laughs). But yeah, I think it’s going to be an amazing night. I think the fans are gonna love it. Think it’s gonna really cement my name into the BKFC flyweight hall of fame. I think it’s going to be that style of fight.”

BKFC 48

What would it mean to you to become the first-ever BKFC champion at flyweight and carve out your place in the bare-knuckle boxing history books at 125 pounds?

“Yeah, you know, it would mean the world to me. It would be something that; any fighter, any athlete that comes into a sport, they want to be the best. Like, we’re not doing it just to be mediocre. We want to do it to be the best, we want to be crowned the champion. For me, to be the first BKFC flyweight champion like that will literally cement my name into the sport of bare-knuckle. Bare knuckle is a newer sport. Obviously, they brought it back, and now it’s the fastest-growing combat sports promotion that I’m signed to.”

“It would definitely be a blessing and I’d be honored. I would love to; there’s many things that I would love to do, but to be able to be crowned the king of the 125 weight class for the first time in BKFC, there’s no words that I have for it.”

Poster courtesy of BKFC

JR Ridge vs John Dodson

Any parting thoughts you have as we’re wrapping up here?

“You know, I appreciate you having me on, appreciate the interview. You know I just want to say everybody tune in. This could be possible fight of the year, and I’m about to shock the world. John Dodson is an admirable guy, you know. I like John, I’ve been a fan of John’s all through his career. He’s also done a lot for the smaller weight classes. But he’s had his day in the sun and it’s my time to shine. So everybody tune in and watch the fight.”

The post JR Ridge on John Dodson Title Bout at BKFC 48 appeared first on Bare Knuckle News.

Scott McHugh takes part in the Road to Thailand tournament which kicks off at BKB 33 on July 29th.

The fistic fireworks emanate from Indigo at the O2 in London, England and the pugilistic proceedings are set to broadcast on Fite TV.

McHugh spoke to Dylan Bowker of Bare Knuckle News before the bout. Excerpts from the chat are below.

Scott McHugh

You as well as Aaron Sinclair, Jonny Lawson, and Sonny Smith will have your Road to Thailand bouts drawn on the day of the press conference. What were your initial feelings when this PrizeFighter tournament concept initially was presented to you?

“I just want to fight any rules. BYB, anything I’ll say yeah. I’m not even that bothered what it is. Not bothered to get drawn on there because I’ve already beat one of them in there. I know the way he fights; the other two Sonny (Smith) and Aaron Sinclair, game fighters and I’ll never underestimate anyone. It’s bare-knuckle but all I’m going to do is get down in weight. But bare-knuckle, one punch, you know what I mean? You can get cut, anything.”

“So I’m not gonna go oh, I’m gonna knock him out in the first round because I’m not that guy. I’m the humble guy. So I’m just gonna go in there, do what I do, and well obviously I’m going in there to win aren’t I? I’m very, very confident I’ll win all them… I know what I’m for against them all. I’ve studied them all, seen them all. Been training hard they all are. They all want to beat me because without being big-headed, I’m the biggest name. I’m the champion you know. So they’re gonna be training.”

BKB

How does it feel to be in this PrizeFighter tournament field with such a rich history backing these BKB tournaments? Also, what does it mean to you to have a chance to compete in Thailand during the finals of this four man bracket?

“Yeah, well that means the world to anyone, you know, fighting in Thailand, you know, in the final. It’s just something different as well something like PrizeFighter. Yeah, it’s just something different. It’s different than me belts. I’ve now vacated me belt well not just to do with PrizeFighter. I just thought, you know, there’s other lads that I have at my weight that want to go for the British title. People deserve it, you know what I mean, I can’t keep defending it all the time. Defend, defend, defend it.”

Scott McHugh continued, “I’ve already defended it a couple times now and I just want to move on to bigger things and give other people the opportunity.”

BKB 33

You’ve alluded to wanting bigger things in the sport of bare-knuckle boxing. Does that specifically represent pursuing Barrie Jones and world titles in other weight categories?

“Well yeah like I’m trying to do some work in this division now. Well, I am going up weight because I usually fight at 73 but I do walk around at this weight what I spar at. I usually like to drop a couple kilo anyway. So I think I’ll be a lot better and stronger at this weight. But like you say with Barrie Jones and anyone, I won’t call anyone out. Jim (Freeman) rings me, that’s who I fight. Who I’m fighting, no problem, I’ll fight them. I don’t go calling people out. I leave that to the big bosses to deal with.”

Road to Thailand – Scott McHugh

It seems like you’re eyeballing a bare knuckle Muay Thai bout in rapid fashion after this PrizeFighter final in Thailand. Can you give some more insights into that?

“Yeah well, look that’s definitely me plan. Win this PrizeFighter then maybe a couple of days after, do a bare-knuckle Thai boxing match or a Lethwei with elbows and headbutts. Who knows? That’s my plan anyways (laughs). Win the PrizeFighter Thailand then a few days after, have a few drinks and just ******* do a bare-knuckle Thai fight.”

‘I’m sure Jim (Freeman) and Joe (Brown) wouldn’t mind me fighting in Thailand if it’s a Thai boxing show with no gloves on, kickboxing and elbows. It’s Thai boxing isn’t it, with no gloves. It’s not bare-knuckle boxing. So hopefully we can get away with it (laughs).”

The post Scott McHugh on Road to Thailand Kickoff at BKB 33 appeared first on Bare Knuckle News.

Brad Scott and Kevin Greenwood battle for the British cruiserweight championship at BKB 33 on July 29th.

The fistic fireworks emanate from Indigo at the O2 in London, England and the pugilistic proceedings are set to broadcast on Fite TV.

Greenwood spoke to Dylan Bowker of Bare Knuckle News before the championship bout. Excerpts from the chat are below.

Kevin Greenwood

Your opponent is a former UFC veteran with a 2-0 bare-knuckle boxing record and are the British BKB champ after a pair of finishes. What are your thoughts on his resume and stylistic attributes overall?

“Yeah I mean look, he’s got a good resume. He’s been in the UFC. You’ve got to be something to be there. He’s already looking up at heavyweight titles, I hope he’s not overlooking me. Because he’s going to have to do his best to hold on to that belt. With me like these are the fights I want. I want to slay dragons, Dylan. Do you know what I mean by that? This is what I love about the BKB, there’s good talent. To be consistent here, you’ve got to beat good talent. For me, this is the perfect fight for me.”

“I believe every one of these fights probably takes about five years off your life, do you know what I mean? (laughs). So like you might as well fight these guys for something. You might as well fight the top guys or the guys with the good resume because when I beat Bradley, UFC veteran, a British champion. I want to slay dragons. Don’t want to be fighting guys that my friends in the audience could say oh you know what, I could fight him. I want these guys with the big resumes because I’m building my own.”

BKB 33

Did you immerse yourself in tape study for this one or did you have a good foundational knowledge of Scott before this cruiserweight championship clash?

“Yeah, I mean see what I do; what I had done for the (Lawrence) Tracey fight was, I don’t look too much on them. There’s a lot of footage out there on opponents isn’t there? So I’ll have a quick look. I’ll watch a couple fights, all the latest fights they’ve had and I’ll see for any repetitions. If there’s things that are repeating and things they like to do, I’ll work with them, do you know what I mean? Look for counters and how to deal with them. Also, I just want a visual presence in my mind of them being in front of me.”

“Because what I do then is I’ll immerse myself as if I’m actually in this fight. I’ll go over certain things that I want to do to them over and over and over again. Then I’ll do things I think they’re going to try and do to me. I’ll go over that in my mind. So then by the time I get to fight night, in my mind, I’ve already had this fight a hundred times. That worked for the Tracey fight. I was very calm because in my mind I’d already been there. I’d gone over so many different things.”

BKB

“So many different things that could happen or that I wanted to happen. So by the time I got there, I was nice and relaxed. I believe once you visualize things like that, your mind’s ultra-sensitive and picks up on anything. You react to it a lot quicker. So yeah that’s what I tend to do. I immerse myself with one person at a time. So I’ve got that visual of Bradley Scott now.”

“I spend half an hour- hour every day in my own mind. Actually throughout the day in spells but then there’ll be a dedicated half an hour before I go to sleep. That will just be going over things on my mind that I’d like to get off or things I’d like to counter.”

Photo via @bkb_official1 on Twitter

Kevin Greenwood vs Brad Scott

It seems like you’ve had a whirlwind run with you fighting for a British title in your sophomore bare-knuckle boxing bout. What are your feelings on being in this moment and what were the thoughts when the bout offer initially came your way?

“Oh yeah definitely. I mean I didn’t expect after just one fight to be contending for the British title. I’m over the moon by it, do you know what I mean, the opportunities that have been given to me. I’m really happy about it but yeah I definitely didn’t expect it. Because in gloved boxing, you know, it takes at least sort of like ten, maybe even sometimes fifteen, twenty fights before you get to even look at any titles. So getting the opportunity now for a British title, I’m over the moon with it, you know. I really am.”

The post Kevin Greenwood on Brad Scott Title Bout at BKB 33 appeared first on Bare Knuckle News.

Ionel Levitchi and Jimmy Sweeney clash for the vacant welterweight world title at BKB 33 on July 29th.

The fistic fireworks emanate from Indigo at the O2 in London, England and the pugilistic proceedings are set to broadcast on Fite TV.

Levitchi spoke to Dylan Bowker of Bare Knuckle News before the championship bout. Excerpts from the chat are below.

Ionel Levitchi

You called for a world title shot during the interview following your last fight. What were the feelings like when you locked in this desired fight and had this championship bout offer come your way?

“Of course, I’m pretty excited, you know. They offered me this fight because I was like in line to fight for world championship. So of course I took the opportunity. I’m fighting Jimmy Sweeney, he’s one of the best BKB fighters. He used to be like five times world champion like different weight class division. So yeah, I’m looking forward to it. I know it’s not going to be easy fight but I like to challenge myself with the best. If it’s for a world championship, it needs to be like two proper warriors to make a good fight.”

BKB

Sweeney is aiming to become a four-weight bare-knuckle boxing champion here while you seek welterweight gold as the reigning British BKB lightweight champion. Can you speak to the magnitude of the stakes that exist in this fight?

“Basically you know with this fight I’ve got nothing to lose. I think all the pressure is on his shoulders. He has to prove once again because he is the king of BKB, you know. So yeah, I like the guy. We know each other because we used to fight in the same promotion. But the fight came up, so it’s just business, you know. I’m looking forward to it. We’re going to make a good fight.”

“It’s going to be a war, a hundred percent. Because he’s coming to fight, I know he’s a very skilled fighter. I’m not so skilled but I can take punch, I can deliver a punch. So yeah, I’m a brawler actually but it’s going to be interesting how it’s going to play.”

BKB 33

Sweeney rebounded from his pair of losses to Barrie Jones and the decorate bare-knuckle legend seems to want to exit the sport on a huge series of high notes this year. Can you talk about the facets of this fight and what a win over an iconic name like Sweeney would do for your cache within bare-knuckle boxing?

“It’s a very big fight for me, you know, because he’s a legend in BKB. But I know a hundred percent I can beat him. I don’t know, I just believe too much in myself I guess. But I know I have the power to knock anyone out. Because all my wins was like by knockout, my five wins are by knockout. So yeah, I know I can finish the fight. There’s no chance we’re going to fight for seven rounds, that’s impossible. As soon as that bell rings, I’m going for the kill. I’m going like everything or nothing.”

“So yeah, it’s interesting. But it’s going to be a big fight, you know. So yeah I’m happy because of this fight. He’s a legend, all respect to him. But I think now it’s my time, so yeah.”

Photo via @bkb_official1 on Twitter

Ionel Levitchi vs Jimmy Sweeney

You journeyed outside the BKB circuit and bested JD Burns at BYB 12 in London. Can you speak to the cross-promotional relationship with BYB Extreme and BKB in the context of how many great opportunities it provides the combatants involved?

“That show was amazing in London when they came first-time. It was good. JD Burns again is a very tough fighter. He has a lot of experience. Had been knocked down a couple of times, he won the fight after. He’s a very strong guy. But I think I just overpowered him and I just knocked him out. I knocked him down like three times before the knockout. So yeah I’m looking forward to compete again in Trigon again, of course a hundred percent. Whether it’s going to be even in USA or UK, yeah I’m looking forward to it.”

“I’m interested to take every belt (laughs), you know what I mean? So yeah, even now with this fight, we fight 80 kilos. My weight division is like 75, 76 but I’ll take any opportunity. Of course, I’m not going to take heavyweight fights but I’m happy to do like 70 to 80 kg. So I’m happy to do this. Of course, I’m looking forward to maybe to take the Police Gazette belt as well in the near future. So yeah, let’s see what opportunity comes in the way.”

The post Ionel Levitchi on Jimmy Sweeney Title Bout at BKB 33 appeared first on Bare Knuckle News.

Brad Scott and Kevin Greenwood battle for the British cruiserweight championship at BKB 33 on July 29th.

The fistic fireworks emanate from Indigo at the O2 in London, England and the pugilistic proceedings are set to broadcast on Fite TV.

Scott spoke to Dylan Bowker of Bare Knuckle News before the championship bout. Excerpts from the chat are below.

Brad Scott

How do you feel readying to embark on this first defense of your title?

“Well, it’s really good because this is one of the first times in my entire career I’ve never had to worry about actually making weight. I’m actually under the max weight category already. I’m allowed to be 101.6 kilograms really and I’m about a hundred now. So I’m not really too bothered. So in terms of training, I can do exactly what I want and I’m doing pretty well. I’m really enjoying it at the moment.”

BKB

You’re 2-0 in bare-knuckle boxing with a pair of finishes and are already a defending champion in this looming outing. How do you feel about your arc in this combat sport less than a year into your tenure?

“Yeah well, I’ve got a funny story for you. My first bare-knuckle, well I don’t really count my first bare-knuckle boxing bout. But it was a funny story; I was actually, as you do, you get sort of suckered in and you end up going on Netflix and then you keep clicking. You actually spend more time searching for your next movie than you do watching Netflix. I was doing that and I got a message saying do you fancy having a bare-knuckle boxing bout in a few weeks’ time? I went ah yeah why not, let’s ******** go for it.”

Bare Knuckle Boxing

“Then next morning I had all these text messages. Turns out I’d accepted a bare-knuckle boxing bout. I won it and I thought oh ****. So I had the bout, I won in the second round by KO. I thought this isn’t too bad then I looked to the biggest organization in the UK which is the BKB. I’d done that and then within I think it was six months I went 2-0 and won the title. I mean I was blessed to get the title because I had an opponent drop out. So getting a title was just also a little bit of luck. But I’ve done really, really well.”

Brad Scott continued, “I’m not actually an actual pro boxer as such. My boxing’s not bad. I can hold my own against a lot of people. But I think I’ve done well because I used to fight in MMA gloves. Then, how can I say this, I’m not scared of getting hit. So I don’t mind being in the pocket and trading a little bit. I’ve got no fear of being hit. Been getting hit by small gloves or no gloves for a long time. That’s worked in my favor.”

BKB 33

You’ve had a similar arc to Alan Belcher where you moved up multiple weight divisions from where you fought as an MMA fighter to be a champion in bare-knuckle boxing. Have you noticed anything different as far as how you can curate your camp for more strength and conditioning as well as how the gas tank is informed now that you’re a cruiserweight as compared to when you were a welterweight?

“That is actually a really good question because first of all, me and Alan Belcher we’re about the same size. I’ve met Alan Belcher a long time ago from a distance. I’d love to get a photograph with him, I think he’s a legend. So we are literally; I think he might even be shorter than me. But we are the same build. I noticed that because there’s no grappling involved and it’s striking, that we don’t really care so much about making the weight.”

“We just want to fight where we’re comfortable at. I am not making weight to do bare-knuckle boxing. I will make weight to be professional but I’m not going in the sauna for hours… Not taking laxatives and all that drivel for bare-knuckle boxing. I’ll fight at whatever I feel comfortable at and I think maybe that’s why some of us are doing so well.”

Brad Scott vs Kevin Greenwood

What do you think about Kevin Greenwood’s BKB debut vs Lawrence Tracey and his better stylistic attributes overall?

“Yeah, so I used to train with Lawrence Tracey at Free Fighters back in the day. I think he was more of a grappler. I’m definitely a better striker than Lawrence Tracey. But I was looking at Kevin Greenwood’s technique, he’s a sharp cookie. He may not look in the best of shape but he’s actually a really technical boxer. He’s really sharp, he’s gonna be a tough cookie to crumble. It’s hard to ******* explain.”

“He’s got a tight guard. When I watched him fight in gloves, he was a lot better than when he fought bare-knuckle. But now he’s had that experience against Lawrence Tracey, I don’t know what to expect. I’m expecting it to be a tough fight. He’s a very fit guy, very strong guy. I think I’ve got the reach advantage. He’s probably got the experience on me. But I’m used to fighting with small gloves. I think that’s going to go a long way.”

The post Brad Scott on Kevin Greenwood Title Defense at BKB 33 appeared first on Bare Knuckle News.

Jimmy Sweeney and Ionel Levitchi clash for the vacant welterweight world title at BKB 33 on July 29th.

The fistic fireworks emanate from Indigo at the O2 in London, England and the pugilistic proceedings are set to broadcast on Fite TV.

Sweeney spoke to Dylan Bowker of Bare Knuckle News before the championship bout. Excerpts from the chat are below.

Jimmy Sweeney

When we last spoke you said your aim was to become a four-weight division, six-time BKB champion. What was your temperament when you got word of this bout offer that provides you a chance to do just that?

“Basically just after my last fight, as you know we had a few pullouts on the last show. We had a late replacement step in. No disrespect to that fighter (Kearon Thomas) but there was levels apart and it was over quite quick. Whenever it was, my last fight, then take a little break until November. But it was over so fast that I just asked for this fight in July.”

“I’ve asked for a world title challenge because as you know, I’m chasing world titles, so. But the guy that I’ve wanted to fight Marley Churcher who had just been beat on a world title shot, he couldn’t make the July show. So we got (Ionel) Levitchi. It’s a dangerous fight but a fight that I’m very confident I’m winning.”

Photo credit to DN4 Photography

BKB

Ionel Levitchi is the British lightweight champion, has a one hundred percent finishing rate in bare-knuckle boxing, and has his own multi-division title aspirations within BKB. What are your thoughts on Levitchi’s resume and noteworthy stylistic attributes overall?

“He’s a very short fighter, very compact. Very strong, very explosive. He’s one of those big fighters that if he hits you, it could be it. It could be lights out, do you know what I mean? I think he’s going to be very dangerous for the first two-three rounds. So that’s where he’s most dangerous. He’s going to come out there knowing if this goes into later rounds, he’s going to get his head boxed off. So he’s going to come out dangerous, he’s going to come out fast. So I’ve got to be prepared for that.”

“The first three rounds is going to be vital. Like I can’t lose concentration at all in close because if I do, he could put my lights out. That’s the kind of fighter he is, you know what I mean? He’s dangerous; I actually had seen in his last fight when he was dropped, he’s dangerous. When the guy’s coming back after being dropped, this is what he does; he’s explosive. So if I drop him, I can’t rush him. I have to box and get the job done smartly.”

BKB 33

So the strategy here is to collect intel and be comprehensively responsible the first few rounds before putting the foot on the gas in the mid to later rounds?

“Yeah, yeah, that’s the plan. The plan is just stick to my boxing for this one. Just stick to my boxing, don’t get careless. Don’t get caught with his overhand right because he’s a very dangerous lad. Then just gradually break him down and stop him in the mid to later rounds. But as I said, he’s one of those fighters where you have to be; your concentration level has to be a hundred every round. You can’t afford to lose concentration for a second because that second could be vital. That could be the end of that fight.”

“It’s going to be not just a physical fight but mental fight as well because your boxing IQ has to be there just to out-think him, outsmart him. My boxing IQ compared to his is going to be massive and you’ll see it on the night but just with his power, with his strength, like he could be dangerous. He catches you any second, it could be over.”

Jimmy Sweeney vs Ionel Levitchi

You mentioned not having anyone at Gold Team Gym that really mirrors Levitchi’s physical frame. Does that compound the importance of gathering that early intel and analyzing what Levitchi’s approach will be while in the vacuum of the fight?

“I’ll figure it out, lad. It’s like it doesn’t matter who I spar or what. I could go into this fight and after about ten seconds, I’ll have Levitchi figured out. So I don’t have to be like; the things I’m working on sparring with these guys are the things that’s going to be really effective with Levitchi because he’s meant for them.”

Jimmy Sweeney continued, “If I could hit these lads with what I’m trying to do and they’re a lot taller, I’m going to catch Levitchi with them. I honestly think it’s not going to go three or four rounds. I think he’s going to come walk into my shots and what I have planned. It’s gonna be lights out early for him.”

The post Jimmy Sweeney on Ionel Levitchi Title Bout at BKB 33 appeared first on Bare Knuckle News.

Dan Lerwell clashes with CJ Mills at BKB 33: Sweeney vs. Levitchi on July 29th for the BKB world middleweight championship.

The fistic fireworks emanate from Indigo at the O2 in London, England and the pugilistic proceedings are set to broadcast on Fite TV.

Lerwell spoke to Dylan Bowker of Bare Knuckle News before the title bout. Excerpts from the chat are below.

Dan Lerwell

You’re the British middleweight champion and readying to take on a familiar foe here for a world title accolade. What was the initial set of feelings when this bout offer came your way?

“I fought to become world champion before and I obviously lost it. It was quite a bad patch and everything with that but I lost. I think after a few days I asked for a fight and CJ Mills stepped up to the plate. I’m the only one to beat him and he got a few wins after me. So yeah, it should be an interesting fight.”

BKB 33

I mentioned the familiarity in this fight with you two previously having tested skills in March 2019 at BKB 16. What would you say the biggest differences are between yourself and Mills heading into this rematch?

“The big difference in myself is that I’m in great shape now. I’m constantly training, I’m constantly dieting. Even though I’m out of camp now, I’m still training. Still taking over which I never used to do. We’re both a lot more experienced now. So yeah, it should be a better fight, it should be a better-skilled fight. Well, I just hope I get the win. I’m just there to get the win, that’s all. Yeah, it should be entertaining to the fans. The last fight I think is one of the most viewed fights in BKB history.”

BKB

Your stoppage win over Mills was considered a big upset at the time. How does the complexion of this contest/ perception of this fight differ in the rematch if at all?

“It depends, some people still think I’m the underdog. Don’t think anything of it, I’m a confident guy, and I love being the underdog. But I don’t see how I’m the underdog this time after I stopped Mills in quite good fashion. I outboxed Mills in the fight as well sometimes. He did catch me with a cold jab. I went down and got straight back up. But yeah, he’s usually in great shape. I’m in even better shape… much better shape.”

“I’ve been in a better place mentally, physically. Yeah, I’m pretty confident. I’m pretty confident this time. Was confident the last time but I think this time is just going to be a different story. I think I’ll go in as a favorite this time out rather than a big underdog.”

Dan Lerwell vs CJ Mills II

Six of your seven wins in this sport have ended inside the distance and I already mentioned how you have halted Mills. Do we see this general trend continuing of your bare knuckle boxing bouts ending inside the distance as this weekend looms closer?

“I hope so. I hope I keep on throwing them lucky punches (laughs). So if I throw lucky punches, hopefully I’ll finish early and leave. As I’ve said, we don’t get paid for overtime so it’d be even better. But yeah, I’ve been blessed with the power. God blessed me with power and it seems to work in BKB now and again. Some days you’re lost in and it don’t happen. But yeah it seems to work. My strength and conditioning coach now is probably the best about. My boxing coach Boxer Tricks is probably the best about.”

“With my strength and conditioning coach, them put together made me the best person I am. I’m 36, I’m not getting any younger. So I’m looking at what; another three four years maybe? Four years perhaps and then it’ll be bye bye Dan in the picture (laughs). But we’ll see what happens. But yeah, I feel fit as well, been the best shape I’ve ever been, and it’s thanks to my coaches. The best boxer I’ve ever been. My sparring’s great and I feel fantastic for this fight. There’s no excuses on my end for this fight at all.”

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Ryan Reber clashes with Travis Thompson at BKFC 47 on July 14th.

The fistic fireworks broadcast on the Bare Knuckle TV app and Fite TV with the pugilistic proceedings emanate from Jenkins Arena in Lakeland, Florida.

Reber spoke to Dylan Bowker of Bare Knuckle News before this bout. Excerpts from the chat are below.

Ryan Reber

You’re in the top five and are fighting the number two-ranked BKFC bantamweight here. Are you looking at this one as a title eliminator?

“Yeah, absolutely. That’s what they’re telling me, that’s what my manager is telling me. So that’s what we’re riding it as. A win here would be huge and it would catapult me in that number two spot. I want to think that Jarod Grant is going to have him a fight in August. I’m not sure against who but I’m sure I would beat the winner out of those two as everything goes my way come the fourteenth.”

Do you feel like things are kind of wide open in the division now as far as who the next contender for the BKFC bantamweight title could be?

“Oh yeah. I mean it’s also gonna depend on what Reggie’s gonna do. Is Reggie (Barnett Jr) gonna stay or is Reggie gonna drop? You know what I mean because that would be a great fight for me too if Reggie stays. I would look forward to something like that. So either way, man, not to say that I’m looking past Travis Thompson. I’m gonna have my hands full but I know what I’m doing. I know how hard I’m training, I know what it takes to do this. I’m putting all the things in order to be successful in this fight, so.”

BKFC

Thompson is ranked well in the weight category and has been fighting in bare-knuckle since BKFC 1. What are your thoughts on his resume and better stylistic attributes in this sport?

“As far as Travis Thompson goes, I personally feel all the pressure’s on him. He’s the guy with more experience, he’s the guy who’s number two. I’m coming for his spot. Likewise, he’s not going to want me to take his spot. So he’s going to try to stop me from doing that. But I know who he trains with down here. He trains close to my camp in St Petersburg, Florida. We actually did train together last camp a little bit. So I know a little bit of what he’s about and he knows a little bit of what I’m about.”

“We didn’t really get any sparring in because I believe he thought that we could possibly be opponents down the road. At first it was like oh we’re boys, we’re never gonna fight. To as soon as he left hey, man, I can get us a fight. I’m just like bro at the end of the day friends or not, I’m not in this **** for friends. I’m in this **** for myself.”

Ryan Reber continued, “So if we got to fight, it is what it is, bro. Set that **** up and we’ll see what happens. Obviously, there was talks and that’s what popped up, man. Come the fourteenth, I look to put on a show and handle business, man.”

Photo credit to @theanimalbkfc on Instagram

BKFC 47

How do you go about not letting Thompson’s tenure and profile in the sport get in your head leading into this fight?

“Nah, I mean I’m really not, man. I mean yeah he’s got the experience but also styles make fights. He’s never fought anybody as big as I have. I mean you go back and you look at his wins, who those guys were, not very impressive. The guys that he lost to were very impressive. So I’ll give him that. But at the end of the day, he’s fighting smaller guys. He’s got a big opponent on his hands. They try to downplay me like oh, well he’s small. I’m not small. I put on ten pounds of muscle this time around too.”

“To make sure that I’m not small. So I used to walk around at probably like ’43, ’42. Now I was walking around almost towards 150. So I made sure that come the fourteenth I’m not that same skinny ass little Ryan (laughs) that you guys (have) seen in the previous fights. I wanted to put on a little bit more muscle, I wanted to work on my footwork. There was a couple other things that I had to work on and get down. Like I said, man, I’m putting in the work.”

“So the thing with Travis is, I don’t know what he was doing in Philly but I know he comes down here to train for fights. In my opinion, you can’t just be an on-call fighter. You’re not just somebody who oh, I’ve got a fight, now it’s time to get into shape. Because I’ve heard through the grapevine he’s very heavy or was very heavy. I don’t know what he’s getting down to now nor do I care but I know that that’s going to play a big factor.”

Ryan Reber vs Travis Thompson

Ryan Reber continued, “It does, no matter your heart, no matter any of that *****. There’s things that you must do. There’s universal laws that I feel you must abide by in order to be successful. I don’t really see that he’s doing those things. He took a little too much time with the contract dispute. Instead of being like well I know I want to fight and I know that I want this to go down. So instead of sitting around and waiting for the contract to get handled, I should get my *** into training camp.”

“Put forth my best effort and then when they renegotiate or whatever, at least I’m ready. But he got into training camp like two and a half weeks ago. It took me like honestly eight weeks to get into top-notch shape. Just a couple weeks ago I was really feeling it to where I could go ten minutes, move my feet, move my head, and move my hands nonstop. That’s the goal I mean even today, I’m putting in just crazy, crazy amounts of work.”

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Travis Thompson tests skills with Ryan Reber at BKFC 47 on July 14th. This is a consequential clash between a pair of top-five ranked bantamweights as each has the 135-pound belt in their crosshairs with a win here.

The fistic fireworks broadcast on the Bare Knuckle TV app and Fite TV with the pugilistic proceedings emanate from Jenkins Arena in Lakeland, Florida.

Thompson spoke to Dylan Bowker of Bare Knuckle News before this bout. Excerpts from the chat are below.

Travis Thompson

It seems like the division is wide open right now for a title contender to emerge. Do you see a strong statement win here garnering you a BKFC bantamweight title shot?

“I don’t think I need this to give myself that contention. I already have that in my opinion. All this is going to do is show that there is a gap between whatever, what am I the second-ranked and he’s the fourth or fifth-ranked? Like I’m just going to show the gap. That’s all I’m going to do. I’m going to exploit that gap. I’m going to show that I deserve to be fighting for the belt next. That’s the whole purpose of this fight.”

Travis Thompson continued, “To be honest with you, my whole thing with it was; BoxRec they just now changed it but before that, he was the number-one ranked fighter on BoxRec. That made no sense but whatever. Now they changed it, they fixed that mistake.”

Photo credit to Phil Lambert/ BKFC

BKFC

What are your thoughts on Reber’s spotless BKFC run and some of his better stylistic attributes?

“He’s 3-0… I get it, I understand. But you’ve got to also realize of the three people you fought, they’re nobodies. You don’t have a notable victory, you don’t have anything. You know, like good for him. He’s done great and I’m happy for him but I’ve been in there with killers. Like the top of our bracket. I’ve been with the best of the best. I’ve put on fight of the nights, I’ve put on knockout of the nights. I bring that to the table. He hasn’t fought a real fighter yet and we’re going to see what happens when he does.”

BKFC 47

Not overlooking Reber but a possible title clash with champ Reggie Barnett Jr would have such a great backstory to it. You and Barnett Jr fought at BKFC 1 and have been top-ranked 135-pounders ever since. How important is it to actualize that story into reality?

“That would be great to have that title fight with Reggie. Because like you had just said, June would have been the five-year anniversary. You’re going to see where we both have grown since June 2nd of 2018. So that would be an ideal fight for everybody. Everyone could see how the sport itself has evolved and how we individually have evolved. I would love that fight, it would be a great fight to put on for everybody. It would be great for the company, it would be great for spectators, everybody. It’s a win-win for all.”

Travis Thompson continued, “But at the same time, I don’t want to overlook Reber and I’m not going to. That’s one thing I never do, I never look forward to another fight. I just look at who I’m fighting, who’s in front of me. That’s all I’m worried about. So to be honest with you, I really don’t care about that fight right now. One fight at a time. So all I’m focused on is Ryan Reber, getting inside, doing my work.”

Travis Thompson vs Ryan Reber

You seem to use sacrifices for the fight as a motivation for the competition itself and to have a cathartic release when bludgeoning your opponent. With you missing your son’s birthday in person for this one and other factors, is this the biggest pent-up feeling you’ve ever had with this competitive mindset?

“I always try to put that type of mindset into every single fight. But yes, this one’s going to be the hardest because of my son’s birthday. I’m missing my son’s fourteenth birthday, I missed fourth of July so that’s really gonna annoy me. Don’t get me wrong, we’ll be able to Facetime and stuff and everything which is really nice. In today’s day and age, you can actually still do that stuff. But I’m not really there which is a big deal for me.”

Travis Thompson continued, “So yeah, this is definitely a little bit of pent-up aggression toward my opponent and it’s going to show on the fourteenth. He’s my boy, Reber is my man. I love Reber. He’s my boy before the fight, he’s going to be my boy after the fight. But when I get in the ring, you’re going to see why they call me ‘The Animal’. That’s just what I always bring to the table.”

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