Over the
last several years, there have been several attempts made and variations to bring
Boxing back to its bareknuckled roots. These variations have included a
modernized form of Bareknuckle Boxing including the implementation of
knuckle-exposed Boxing gloves as we saw in the now inactive BKB format, which
is owned by satellite television provider DirecTV and it’s current parent
company AT&T. It did not take long for the format of DirecTV’s BKB to be
reformatted. Gone were the knuckle-exposed gloves and eventually the format
seemed similar to that of traditional Professional Boxing, with standard
gloves. The area known as the “BKB Pit” where fights were contested that
differed significantly from that of a traditional Boxing ring however, remained
the same.
As readers
may recall in this observer’s coverage of those BKB events now several years
ago, I noted that a potential reason for the format change to what ultimately
became known as BKB:Big-Knockout Boxing was likely to eliminate the potential
hurdles with regard to licensing and regulation in several states here in the
United States as well as internationally. With DirecTV’s BKB now inactive,
there have been several bareknuckle promotions that have surfaced in their
absence.
While I will
save a more thorough run through of these respective promotions for a later
time, one of the more notable groups has been the Bareknuckle Fighting
Championship or BKFC for short. As is the case with other Bareknuckle Boxing
promotions that have emerged in recent years, the BKFC is about as close to
what one thinks of when they think of Boxing in a bareknuckle format as it can
get with a modernized presentation. A format where fights are fought in a
circular ring where rounds are under two minutes in duration ensures bouts are
quick paced and more often than not fights tend to end inside a scheduled distance.
As the
continued rebirth of Bareknuckle Boxing has continued, the question some fans
have asked is will a fighter or fighters who have made their name competing
under traditional Boxing rules be willing to compete under a bareknuckle format
with no gloves. Those who have read this observer’s previous coverage of
several bare knuckle cards will likely remember how I have said Bareknuckle
Boxing does open a new avenue for fighters in all combat sports to compete
outside of their primary discipline and also would provide an opportunity for
fighters to stay active if there are not opportunities to compete in their
primary combat sport.
In regard to
traditional Boxing, I will be honest when I say that I have had my doubts as to
whether or not boxers who are household names or the sport’s respective
governing bodies would be open to competing in a bareknuckle fight and in the
case of sanctioning organizations, willing to sanction world title bouts fought
under a bareknuckle format. We will get at least part of those questions
answered with BKFC’s sixth event BKFC 6 on Saturday night.
BKFC 6 will
take place at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, FL, signaling the first
time a Bareknuckle Boxing event will be sanctioned in the state of Florida. The
card, which will be broadcast both on cable/satellite pay-per-view as was as digital
streaming via Fite TV pay-per-view will feature several bouts, but will be
highlighted by two fights where two former world champions in traditional
Boxing will test the waters of fighting with no gloves.
In the main
event former two-division world champion Paulie Malignaggi will return to the
ring for the first time in over two years to face Artem Lobov. Malignaggi, who
won world championships in the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight and 147lb. Welterweight
divisions in his forty-four professional fight career has established himself
outside the ring as one of Boxing’s top analysts regularly serving as an expert
commentator for Showtime Spots in the United States and Sky Sports in the United
Kingdom.
What
concerns me about Malignaggi attempting to compete in a slightly different form
of Professional Boxing as compared to what he is used to is he has dealt with
several hand injuries throughout his career. It is important to keep in mind
that even though fights that are fought under a bareknuckle format are
professional bouts, they are not currently regarded as professional fights by
official Boxing record keeping sources such as BoxRec and FightFax. More
importantly in regard to Malignaggi is perhaps due to the hand injuries he has
had throughout his career, he has only scored seven knockouts in his thirty-six
career wins under traditional professional Boxing rules.
We will
likely find out early on how Malignaggi will respond to being hit bare fisted.
At his best, Malignaggi was one of the most defensively sound and elusive
fighters in the sport. It will be interesting to see how competing in a
circular ring, which is about half the length of a traditional Boxing ring will
effect Malignaggi’s ability to move and be elusive. The difference in his
punches are also likely to show early on in this fight. Whether or not
Malignaggi’s hands will hold up to the strain of fighting under bareknuckle
rules remains to be seen.
Malignaggi
will face a former UFC veteran in Artem Lobov. Although Mixed Martial Arts
(MMA) bouts are not necessarily comparable to Boxing in that more often than
not, more disciplines are required for success in MMA, an argument can be made
that Lobov is more experienced in a format similar to that of bareknuckle rules
due to MMA gloves only requiring one ounce of padding, which essentially makes
fists as close to bareknuckled without actually being bareknuckled as possible.
Lobov will
enter this fight having lost his previous three MMA bouts in the Ultimate
Fighting Championship (UFC). Lobov has scored knockouts in four of his fifteen
career wins, but has only been stopped once in his career. Although Lobov’s MMA
record of 15-14 may give the impression of a journeyman, the majority of his
losses have come by decision. This suggests that if he can withstand
Malignaggi’s punches that he will likely be in the fight for however long it
lasts.
On the
undercard of Malignaggi-Lobov, former two-division world champion Randall
Bailey will return to the ring for the first time in three years to make his
Bareknuckle Boxing debut. Bailey will face Daniel Santos. Like Paulie
Malignaggi, Randall Bailey won world titles in the Jr. Welterweight and
Welterweight divisions in his career. Bailey however, scored knockouts in thirty-nine
of his forty-six career wins registering a career knockout percentage of 70%.
Similar to
Malignaggi, Bailey will be competing under bareknuckle rules for the first time
and will be coming off of a significant layoff. Though the same scenario exists
for Bailey in it being interesting to see how he responds to being hit by a
bare fist, Bailey has almost always been in an entertaining fight and at his
best has the type of punching power that can end a fight with one punch. Under
a bareknuckle format, one might assume that Bailey’s power will be even more
dangerous than under traditional Boxing rules.
With
Bareknuckle Boxing events having taken place in Wyoming, Mississippi, Mexico,
and now entering Florida for the first time, the resurgence of Boxing in
bareknuckle form is growing and does not appear to be facing some of the same
struggle that numerous MMA promotions faced during the early stages of the
sport of MMA in the early 1990’s here in the United States. For the BKFC, their
sixth card will feature a total of nine bouts for its first event in the state
of Florida.
We will see
what happens and how the resurgence of Bareknuckle Boxing will continue to
evolve on Saturday night.
“And That’s
The Boxing Truth.”
BKFC
6:Malignaggi vs. Lobov takes place on Saturday, June 22nd at the
Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, FL. The card can be seen on a pay-per-view
basis across cable/satellite providers and digital streaming pay-per-view
worldwide on Fite.TV for $39.99 beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT (U.S. Time). Contact
your cable/satellite provider for ordering information. Fite TV is available on
mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices. To order BKFC 6 on Fite TV and
for a list of compatible streaming devices please visit: www.Fite.TV.
The Boxing
Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.
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