Lomachenko Is Back

Three-division world champion Vasyl Lomachenko has had a career most fighters can only dream of. A two-time Olympic Gold medalist representing Ukraine, who had nearly four hundred wins as an amateur with only one defeat, Lomachenko arguably achieved Hall of Famer status long before he turned professional. Since turning pro in October 2013, Lomachenko quickly ascended to become a world champion taking only three professional fights to accomplish a goal that for some fighters, takes an entire career, if at all.

Despite three setbacks as a pro, two of which are the subject of much debate, Lomachenko has remained one of the best fighters in the entire sport. It was the most recent setback, a controversial twelve round unanimous decision to then undefeated Undisputed Lightweight world champion Devin Haney in May of last year, a fight that many, including this observer felt he won, put his career in doubt.

In doubt not because of eroding skills and/or the impacts/effects of injuries, which accumulate and come with the territory of a long career in the sport, but because of the effect the loss to Haney had on him emotionally. While it goes without saying any setback does have an effect on one, not only in regard to athletic competition, but in life, Lomachenko took the loss hard and let his emotions out after the fight in the dressing room. If nothing else, it should serve as a reminder to any would be critics, both of the armchair and of the online variety, fighters like the rest of us are human and everyone should be able to comprehend one taking a loss hadd, especially in regard to a bout where the consensus view tended to differ with the official judges.

Although no one disputes that it was a close, and competitive fight between Haney and Lomachenko though the outcome will likely remain a subject of debate for years to come, it would be understandable to wonder both if Lomachenko could rebound from such a disappointment as well as if he even wanted to after feeling like the victim of injustice in a decision that he felt should have gone his way. The one thing that Lomachenko could take solace in is the fact that he was by far not the first fighter to suffer a loss as a result of a disputed decision on the scorecards and he certainly will not be the last.

With Haney having moved out of the 135lb. Lightweight division and successfully winning a world championship in the Jr. Welterweight division in December of last year, the Undisputed Lightweight championship of the world is no longer undisputed and the four world championships that Haney held became vacant. This opened up an opportunity for Lomachenko to return to the ring on May 11th as he faced two-time Lightweight world champion and fellow former Haney opponent George Kambosos at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

Along with Kambosos’ International Boxing Organization (IBO) Lightweight world championship being on the line in his first defense of that title, which was not involved in the consolidation of world championships that made up the last Undisputed Lightweight crown, the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) world championship was also on the line. Kambosos as some might recall briefly held the Undisputed Lightweight crown after defeating Teofimo Lopez in 2021 before losing the title to Devin Haney and failing to regain the title in an immediate rematch.

In his last fight, Kambosos scored a controversial twelve round majority decision over IBO world champion Maxi Hughes in July of last year. Kambosos, somewhat unfairly, has been labeled as a fighter who won a big fight, but has failed in subsequent opportunities at the elite level of the sport. What one cannot take away from him however, is his status as a two-time world champion and in some ways, his career is similar to several other fighters who had become world champion, but who’s reigns were short. Nevertheless, Kambosos is a world-class boxer and the question was whether or not he was either catching Lomachenko on the decline, if nothing else, emotionally, and if he could match up with Lomachenko’s skillset, which is regarded as among the best in the entire sport. 

In many ways this fight was a demonstration of one fighter’s skills and another's bravery. It could also be summed up as “Classic Lomachenko." 

From the opening bell, Lomachenko used his trademark lateral movement and ability to attack at varying angles to get the upper hand. While George Kambosos was able to have moments periodically throughout the fight, particularly when he was able to land punches to Lomachenko's body, he was simply a step slower than the challenger, who frequently beat him to the punch with three and four punch combinations.

It did not take long for the story of the fight to emerge. One fighter teaching what amounted to a masterclass in terms of technique and overall Boxing skill, the other gradually suffering the effects of a beating, but never stopping to try and find one punch that would turn the ebb and flow in his favor. Unfortunately for the champion, he did not have one punch with the kind of power behind it that could cause a sudden shift in momentum, nor was he able to mount a sustained attack on Lomachenko, which may have helped in slowing the flow of the fight down, if not also make a difference on the scorecards in terms of winning rounds.

Further troubling for Kambosos beyond facing a fighter with seemingly limitless energy, as well as having no way to slow the pace, by the middle rounds, the champion was also badly cut on his right eyelid, but it would be unclear as to whether the cut came from a punch or from an accidental clash of heads. At this point in the fight as I continued to watch Lomachenko put round after round in the bank, the only question in my mind was whether or not Kambosos would be able to go the distance.

Although no one can take anything away from what was a gutsy and very “Game" performance by Kambosos, there is no dispute that over the course of the fight, Lomachenko was administering a beating, and I have seen countless fights on every level of Boxing imaginable, stopped under circumstances less than what Kambosos was suffering in this fight. What was developing into gradual concern of yours truly in wondering if the fight would be stopped,would turn out to be academic.

It would be late in the eleventh round when Lomachenko would connect with what appeared to be a right hook to the body from the southpaw stance, which caused a momentary delayed reaction, and caused Kambosos to take a knee. Looking beaten, Kambosos showed his mettle by getting up from the knockdown only to be met with a follow up assault by Lomachenko sending him down for a second time as a towel thrown by Kambosos’ father George Kambosos Sr. was thrown in simultaneously to stop the fight.

The win for Lomachenko not only signifies his fourth world championship in three weight divisions as a professional, but also gives him status as a unified world champion in the Lightweight division and no doubt will offer a significant incentive to other world champions in the division to sign to fight him. One thing is clear, Vasyl Lomachenko has for the moment silenced doubters as to how much he has left in him at this stage of his career. He’s back and after this performance, may be viewed as even more dangerous than he was before as the road to Undisputed begins again in the Lightweight division.

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved. 

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BREAKING: BYB Extreme Bare Knuckle Fighting Series Acquires UK-Based BKBTM

Press Release: May 8, 2024 By BYB Extreme Bareknuckle Fighting Series - -

The groundbreaking US bare knuckle organization based out of Miami, Florida has acquired the 

oldest, active bare knuckle company in the world, making BYB the largest company in terms of 

roster, library and global reach in the bare knuckle space. 

Miami, Florida – BYB Extreme Bare Knuckle Fighting Series Owner and President Mike Vazquez

announced today that the company has acquired London-based BKB, the world’s first professional bare 

knuckle boxing promotion, who has successfully promoted forty bare knuckle events which are broadcast 

in over thirty-five different countries with millions of fans and viewers worldwide.

As bare knuckle continues to grow in popularity, and sponsorship of live programming in sports remain at 

a premium, John Bryan, a pioneering leader with expertise in media distribution and with more than 20 

years working at MGM, Disney and Warner Brothers and who is leading BYB’s broadcast and streaming 

partnership efforts, notes: 

“The future is now. Major consumer brands and mainstream broadcasters and streaming 

services are quickly recognizing the untapped value of bare knuckle fighting and its 

inevitable impact on the market. BYB pioneered the sport and, having put together a 

sustainable roadmap for both the organization and the sport’s international growth, BYB 

has just accelerated this entire process by instantly increasing not only its live show output, 

but also its sponsored content library.” 

Formed in 2015 by Jim Freeman and Joe Smith-Brown, BKB regularly sells out the Liverpool Echo Arena 

and London’s Indigo at the O2, has hosted international fights in Phuket, Thailand, boasts a roster of over 

175 international fighters - including some of the best bare knuckle fighters in the world including Ireland’s 

Jimmy Sweeney, Croatia’s Marko Martinjak and Wales’ Barrie Jones and Dan Chapman, and was the 

first bare knuckle company in the world to professionalize the sport in the modern era.

Both Freeman and Smith-Brown will stay with BYB in an executive capacity, as Freeman will continue to 

handle day-to-day operations for BYB in Europe, and Smith-Brown will also stay on with BYB to oversee 

continued European expansion.

Material Courtesy of BYB Extreme Bareknuckle Fighting Series Used with permission.

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Alvarez-Munguia Thoughts

Recent times in the sport of Boxing have been to some it up in a word, “Strange.” Strange in the sense that what has gone on prior to a scheduled bout outside the ring, has turned out to mean as much or more than the fights themselves when they finally take place inside the ring. By now, we are all familiar with the erratic behavior of one Ryan Garcia that occurred before and after his victory over Devin Haney on April 20th, which has taken yet another turn when it was revealed that the fighter, who had scored an impressive twelve round majority decision over Haney in Brooklyn, NY at the Barclays Center, tested positive for banned substances before and after the fight in tests conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Dopping Agency (VADA), which regularly oversees such procedures in combat sports. While the circumstances of Garcia will continue to play out for better or worse, which this observer stands by his previous comments before and after his bout with Haney, the Boxing world focused on what I personally believe to be one of the better fights that had been made thus far on the 2024 schedule when Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez made his sixth title defense against the dangerous undefeated top contender and former WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Jaime Munguia on May 4th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

As much as I would like to tell the reader, both those who are knowledgable of the sport and follow both the fights themselves as well as the coverage yours truly has provided for nearly three decades, that the story of this encounter was simply one between two of the top stars in the sport meeting for the Undisputed Super-Middleweight championship of the world as the latest attraction for the sport during Cinco de Mayo weekend, unfortunately there is more to the story, that took place in the days prior to the fight. In the interest of honesty with the reader, in light of recent events in the sport like the one mentioned above that had taken place previously, I would prefer to discuss what happened in the ring on May 4th before discussing what happened beforehand, which cast a shadow over what at least on paper had the makings of a Fight of the Year candidate.

Of course, it is not often that the sport is treated to an encounter between two of the top stars of the sport. One, who has been arguably the sport’s top economic draw for several years, the other arguably a rising star that may ultimately occupy that position one day. Two fighters with significant fan followings and both who more often than not, give a Boxing fan their money’s worth whenever they compete.  

What stood out to this observer, though at the same time was not surprising was Munguia started this fight aggressively and appeared to try to execute a fight plan with an emphasis of working of his jab and trying to attack Alvarez with volume punching, throwing combinations and keeping Alvarez on the defensive. For a time, the challenger’s tactics appeared to be working, there was even one exchange during the early rounds where Munguia appeared to pop the head of the champion back with a crisp, but fast triple jab. 

After three rounds, I felt that Munguia’s approach was enough to win two of those rounds. I did question however,  whether the high pace in which Munguia was fighting would ultimately turn against him as the fight progressed. One of the trademarks of Saul Alvarez as his career has gone on is his ability to adjust his fight plan as a fight goes on. While Munguia established himself early, Alvarez, a precision counter puncher among the best in the sport, bided his time and waited for his opportunity to strike. 

Such an opportunity would emerge in round four when in the midst of an exchange, the champion would connect with a perfectly timed right uppercut to the head that dropped Munguia. Despite being knocked down for the first time in his career by a shot he did not see, Munguia showed his mettle by getting up, showing an ability to recover, and doing so while under heavy offensive fire from Alvarez.

It was the moment in the fight however, which signaled a turning point in the bout. For it was from that knockdown in the fourth round onward that Alvarez seized control of the fight.  He did this by established, despite Munguia's attempts to maintain a high pace and keep punches coming at Alvarez to the body and head, when Alvarez threw his punches whether it was a short combination where he took the lead, single punches, or counter punches, his punches were harder, did more damage, and dictated the end and flow of the fight. 

Round after round the pattern remained the same. Munguia often trying to bring the fight to Alvarez, the champion doing his best to deflect the challenger's punches either with his gloves, or head movement, and making the most out of the openings Munguia left him to throw and land crisp combinations, power punches, and counter punches. Although Munguia have it everything he had and never stopped trying to land the proverbial “Fight Turning" blow till the final bell, the outcome was academic as Alvarez would retain his undisputed championship via a convincing twelve round unanimous decision.

The sixth successful title defense for Alvarez was simply as dominant as he has been in his entire career, short of him getting a knockout victory. Although he was indeed forced to go the distance for the fifth consecutive time and this forced to box sixty rounds in the process over that stretch, the Undisputed Super-Middleweight champion of the world showed in this fight against a truly dangerous opponent that came to fight that he is far from done, despite some recent criticism that perhaps after sixty-four professional fights prior to this bout, that perhaps his inability to score knockouts in recent times may be a sign that there may be signs of decline in the thirty-three year old four-division world champion. For now, Alvarez has put a stop to those whispers. It would be nice if that were all that needed to be said. 

Unfortunately, the shadow that loomed over what should have been voted simply as two stars of the sport, both in their prime facing each other, must now be discussed. A sub-plot that emerged in the days before the fight centered around Oscar De La Hoya, the former world champion, Hall of Famer, who promotes Munguia and was the a longtime promoter of Alvarez, took his opportunity to fire back in response to Alvarez who had a highly publicized and ugly split with him in 2020. While Alvarez has made accusations in the years since his split from De La Hoya and his company Golden Boy Promotions, at a press conference days before the fight De La Hoya finally responded to his former client saying in essence that he feels Alvarez has forgotten who helped him reach the level he currently is at in the sport and saying his name should be spoken with respect. De La Hoya also addressed his struggles with alcoholism, something that Alvarez has to put it kindly, criticized him for publicly since their split . Alvarez in response got up from his position at a table on stage and proceeded to attempt to get to De La Hoya before being stopped by security that were in attendance.

While some will dismiss this as simply “Prefight Hype" and utter nonsense, much like the recent conduct of Ryan Garcia, also promoted by De La Hoya, and a former stablemate of Alvarez under trainer Eddy Reynoso, I have a simple question for the reader. Where is the responsibility and accountability to the sport.

The responsibility of those in the sport like Alvarez, Garcia, and De La Hoya to represent Boxing with conduct becoming of professionals, responsibility to not only represent the sport well and hopefully help in assisting to grow Boxing for future generations, and the accountability from those who oversee, sanction, and regulate the sport to ensure that not only Boxing as a sport is respected, but to hopefully ensure that failures to adhere to professional standards/conduct are met with disciplinary action.

In short, all three have failed to uphold such a standard recently. Although some may find humor in such conduct, it ultimately hurts a sport that already has too many flaws and things that can and should be criticized including, but not limited to an over use, abuse, and reliance on a dying model of pay-per-view. While the latter has been something yours truly has criticized frequently and will continue to do so as long as it continues to not benefit the sport or the fans who support it, if those who regulate, sanction, and oversee the seemingly have little interest in actually regulating and ensuring the sport is held in high regard, an approach that one often would not see in other organized sports, why bother regulating at all? Perhaps Boxing should now be viewed in the same vein as Professional Wrestling.

Although I as one who also spent several years covering that industry as well as Boxing and other combat sports am being sarcastic with the aforementioned statement, the bottom line is without adequate oversight to not only ensure rules and regulations are followed before, during, and after fights, and those in the sport conduct themselves as professionals as they are supposed to be, it mind as well be held in the same regard as an entertainment realm, which sadly, despite it's status as a form of live-action performance art and the physical risks performers take being well known, is still viewed by some as a joke.

Boxing deserves better. 

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

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Alvarez-Munguia: A Fight Of The Year Candidate?

Despite suffering a setback in May 2022 in losing a twelve round unanimous decision to Dmitry Bivol in a failed bid to become a two-time Light-Heavyweight world champion, the career of Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo" Alvarez has continued to go strong as he has remained a fully undisputed champion in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division since he completed the unification process in stopping Caleb Plant in November 2021. The fact that Alvarez has remained undisputed champion for nearly three years is an accomplishment few can lay a claim to. Not only because of the obvious hurdles that a champion encounters every time they enter the ring to defend their championship, but also and perhaps more specifically, the red tape that occurs with regard to the respective sanctioning organizations, all of whom have obligations that their portion of a world championship that is part of a unified or undisputed crown, must be defended against a mandatory challenger of their designation on an annual basis, which if a champion fails to do so or is not granted an extension, often results in the title being stripped from the champion.

The political elements of the sport aside, Alvarez as a Super-Middleweight has been nothing short of dominant in continuing to defend his crown against the best the division has to offer. In his last outing,  Alvarez dominated former Undisputed Jr. Middleweight world champion Jermell Charlo in September of last year. Frankly, it was a case of Alvarez’ natural strength and skill being too much for Charlo, who moved up two weight divisions to try and defeat Alvarez. A one-sided victory for Alvarez, a twelve round unanimous decision, marked his sixth successful title defense since first becoming a Super-Middleweight world champion in December 2020 with a unanimous decision over then WBO world champion Callum Smith and the third since he fully unified the division. 

While there remains no shortage of potential challengers in and around the Super-Middleweight division, most notably undefeated former WBC Super-Middleweight world champion David Benavidez, who is the current top contender for Alvarez in the World Boxing Council (WBC) Super-Middleweight ratings and is reportedly moving up to the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division after not being able to secure an opportunity against Alvarez, the champion has opted to move forward.  Although if one were to make a list of current Super-Middleweight contenders, there would be many who would point to Benavidez as possibly the most dangerous among them, Alvarez has chosen what could very well be an opponent that is just as dangerous for what will be his seventh title defense. The undefeated top contender and former WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Jaime Munguia in a fight that will take place on May 4th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV and will be available on a pay-per-view basis through both Prime Video and DAZN.

This is not the first time that Alvarez and Munguia have been potential opponents. Some may recall in 2018 when Alvarez was between the first two fights of his trilogy with Gennady Golovkin, Munguia, who was then a world champion in the Jr. Middleweight division, was slated to move up to the 160lb. Middleweight division to face Alvarez. While there have been no shortage of similar scenarios throughout Boxing history where a world champion in a lower weight division has moved up in weight to seek among other things, more lucrative paydays, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) declined to sanction what was at that point a potential bout between the two due to what they deemed to be an experience disadvantage between the two. 

Since then, the two fighters have gone in different directions, with Munguia seemingly chasing Alvarez from a distance.  It is indeed true that, despite following Alvarez up in weight through the Middleweight and Super-Middleweight divisions as well as remaining unbeaten in the years since he was denied an opportunity to fight Alvarez, Jaime Munguia has not fought for a world championship in the years since he relinquished his Jr. Middleweight crown. 

In some ways, one might view that as both an injustice as well as somewhat refreshing in the sense that because there are seventeen full weight divisions in the sport, with only one sanctioning organization recognizing a would-be eighteenth division, the Bridgerweight class, it is common to see world champions move up and down the weight scale depending on what opportunities might be available and get into position to fight for more world titles in very little time, even at times getting that opportunity as soon as they move up in weight.  While no circumstance is exactly the same, the fact that Munguia has had to fight his way through, including being tested along the way as any would-be contender even though his status as an unbeaten former world champion remains in tact, has allowed him to make a strong case for himself for the opportunity that is now here against Alvarez.

The question is, what are his chances? One must keep in mind that Munguia has thirty-four knockouts in his forty-three career wins and his punching power has remained as he has moved up in weight. After spending some time under the guidance of the former world champion and Hall of Famer Erik Morales, Munguia will now be led into the biggest fight of his career by another former fighter in the form of Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach. There is one similarity between Roach and Morales. As fighters, both were offensive-minded, and that mentality remains for both as trainers, with Roach a disciple of his former trainer the late great Eddie Futch, being regarded as one of the top trainers in the sport.

Munguia’s first outing with Roach in his corner was successful in January of this year when he scored a ninth round stoppage of former world title challenger John Ryder, sending the always “Game" fighter into retirement. Many will recall Ryder’s valiant effort when he challenged Alvarez for the Undisputed Super-Middleweight crown almost exactly one year ago. In a fight where Alvarez dished out a brutal beating and broke Ryder's nose, Ryder still fought on and made it to the final bell of that encounter.

While some might use the comparison of how Alvarez and Munguia each went on to victory over Ryder as a way to compare who might have an edge between the two as this fight approaches, there will likely also be some who will point out that by the time Munguia fought Ryder, Ryder was on the downside of a fine career and had been in several grueling battles before his twelve rounds with Alvarez. So, the fact that Munguia was able to stop Ryder, whereas Alvarez went on to  a decision victory to retain his championship, may not in any way serve as a reflection of what might happen in this fight. 

What will this fight look like once the champion and challenger are in the ring? The main objective for the challenger as has been the case for most of Alvarez’ previous opposition, will be to apply consistent pressure. The pressure applied however, must be done tactically and not recklessly. Alvarez’ two official losses came against fighters who were master boxers in Floyd Mayweather and Dmitry Bivol. While neither implemented a pressure approach against Alvarez and implemented a more tactical strategy where they did not allow Alvarez to get into a rhythm and dictated the fight from start to finish, the champion is not someone who fights well under pressure and there are many throughout the sport, this observer included who felt his first two fights against Gennady Golovkin, a fighter who similar to Munguia likes to come forward, apply pressure, and break his opponents down, could have gone in favor of Golovkin rather than a draw being rendered in the first fight followed by Alvarez winning the second fight, and ultimately winning the trilogy and seemingly sending Golovkin into retirement. 

Although I felt Golovkin won the first two fights, and simply started too late in the third bout, which allowed Alvarez to win the third bout more convincingly, the common element in the first two fights that could be viewed as a mistake Golovkin made, which Munguia must try to avoid here as he now faces Alvarez is in the middle and late rounds, Golovkin backed off from applying pressure just enough where it allowed Alvarez time to adapt. While I felt and still feel that Golovkin did enough to win both of those fights when the final bell rang, if Munguia has success early on in this fight, he must not get complacent and allow Alvarez any wiggle room to get back into the fight on the scorecards if this goes the distance. Simply put, he must leave no doubt as to who is the better fighter.

Of course, there is the possibility that this fight wil not go the distance. For his part, Alvarez has scored knockouts in thirty-nine of his sixty-four professional fights, so he also has the punching power to get an opponent out of there if the opportunity arises. The one thing we have never seen to this point in Alvarez’ career is what would hapen if he is hurt, knocked down, and legitimately in trouble in a fight. Even Gennady Golovkin, a fighter who was one of the most feared knockout artists in the sport with a career knockout percentage of nearly 89%, who had a percentage over 90% prior to his first encounter with Alvarez in September 2017 could not knock Alvarez off his feet, but was able to land several hard shots throughout his three bouts with him and Alvarez was able to stand up to what Golovkin had. If one is to go on evidence up to this point in Alvarez’ career, where he has shared the ring with several Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers, they would conclude that he has a granite chin. What will be interesting to see is not only if Munguia is able to test Alvarez’ chin as others have, but potentially focus a significant portion of his offensive approach to the body. An element Golovkin seemed to implement in parts of the first two fights against Alvarez, but did not sustain it. 

One tactical element that Munguia could use in this fight that Dmitry Bivol was able to do in his victory over Alvarez was he did not allow himself to be baited into traps. There were several instances throughout the fight where Bivol refused to press the action when Alvarez was on the ropes and inviting him to come forward and engage him on the inside. The styles of Bivol, a master boxer and Munguia, a power punching pressure fighter, are different, but what the challenger needs to try and avoid is being baited into traps, especially if it is evident that he is having success and the bait tactics attempted by the champion are an attempt to turn the ebb and flow in his favor, as was the case against Bivol, which did not succeed.

Although this fight might not amount to much more than simply the latest chapter in what will be a Hall of Fame career for the current Undisputed Super-Middleweight champion of the world, the fact that Alvarez not only fully unified the Super-Middleweight division, but has kept it that way in the years since is deserving of praise. Alvarez must keep in mind however, despite his status as now a long-reigning undisputed champion and as one of the biggest stars in the sport of Boxing, every challenger sees him as an opportunity not only for a big payday, not only as a chance to become an undisputed champion, but if they do indeed beat him, an opportunity to hit the proverbial jackpot. While some may feel other contenders might deserve the opportunity to fight Alvarez, Jaime Munguia is the fighter who has the opportunity now and he should be viewed with the respect normally given to a top contender and based on his resume, should be regarded as a dangerous opponent. 

Cinco de Mayo weekend in the sport of Boxing traditionally has been filled with historic battles in the past. Whether Alvarez-Munguia will be the latest to join that long list remains to be seen. 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

Alvarez vs. Munguia takes place on Saturday, May 4th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen on both Prime Video and DAZN on a pay-per-view basis for $89.99 and will also be available through traditional cable/satellite providers. The card will begin at 6PM ET/3PM PT with preliminary bouts followed by the pay-per-view portion of the card beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT.

To order this pay-per-view event on Prime Video, download the Prime Video app on mobile, tablet, or connected streaming devices/Smart TVs or Click here. To order on DAZN, download the DAZN app on your device of choice or Click here.

(*Card and Start time Subject to Change.*)

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BYB Extreme Bare Knuckle Fighting Series Makes Its Louisiana Debut Saturday, July 13

Press Release: May 2, 2024 By BYB Extreme Bareknuckle Fighting Series - BYB 28 will be headlined by a massive heavyweight title matchup between undefeated champion “Hurricane” Ike Villanueva and undefeated #1 contender Gustavo “The Cuban Assassin” Trujillo. The co-main event will feature former BYB women’s lightweight champion Monica Medina against undefeated Helen Peralta.

Credit: BYB Extreme Bareknuckle Fighting Series 

New Orleans, LA – BYB Extreme Bare Knuckle Fighting Series CEO Gregory Bloom announced today that BYB will make its Louisiana debut Saturday, July 13 at the John A. Alario Event Center. Tickets are available now at bybextreme.com/tickets.

Undefeated BYB Heavyweight champion “Hurricane” Ike Villanueva (3-0, 3 KOs) makes his first title defense since winning the belt in February against DJ Linderman when he takes on arguably his toughest opponent yet, Gustavo “The Cuban Assassin” Trujillo. Trujillo is 5-0 in bare knuckle with 5 first-round knockouts.  

Trujillo sees the fight as an opportunity to cement his legacy in the sport:

‍

“Anytime you’re given the opportunity to fight for a world title, you’re given the chance to prove that you're the best in your division. This will be the first title of many to come, but really, it’s just another step to me claiming the most important title of all: When it’s all said and done I will be pound-for-pound the greatest bare knuckle fighter of my time.”

‍

In his typical businesslike manner, Villanueva noted:

 

“Simply put, this is perhaps the biggest and baddest bare knuckle fight ever. And all I have to say is, ‘Welcome to the South. It’s Hurricane Season.’”

 

In a co-main event, former BYB Lightweight Champion Monica Medina (2-2), whose only losses have come as part of her epic trilogy with current champion Paty Juarez, will face the woman she called out following her last fight, Helen Peralta (2-0-1NC). Peralta returns to the Trigon after drawing a no-contest as the result of a headbutt in her BYB debut.  

Medina made her feelings on Peralta clear:

 

“I’m excited for these big ass knuckles of mine to meet that big ass mouth of Helen’s. Welcome to MY HOUSE, Ms. Peralta.” 

‍

Peralta, who has been waiting for the opportunity to get in the Trigon with the former champ since signing with BYB, teased:  

 

‍“It’s about time! It only took her seven months to be ‘ready’ for this fight.” 

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BYB 28 will be broadcast live and free on Fuse, the Latino-owned, global entertainment company available through cable TV or satellite providers, as well as through Sling TV, Fubo TV and AT&T TV Now; on Fight Network, the world’s premier combat sports network, available on cable, satellite and telco systems across the U.S., Canada, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean, as well as Roku and Apple TV devices across North America; and on BeIN SPORTS XTRA and BeIN SPORTS XTRA en Espanol. 

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ABOUT BYB

Originating in South Florida with backyard legend Dada 5000, whose backyard fights gained worldwide popularity online, BYB was founded to harness the excitement of bare knuckle into a more structured product for a broader, more mainstream audience. Since 2015, BYB has worked diligently to grow the reach of bare knuckle on both a domestic and international level, hosting events in Wyoming, Mississippi, Florida, South Carolina, Colorado, London, and Dubai, and is continuing to work with athletic commissions throughout the United States globally to expand the fanbase growing sport of bare knuckle. 

 

Material and Photo Courtesy of BYB Extreme Bareknuckle Fighting Series Used with permission.

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