A Look At BKB 3

In 2013 the unique concept known simply as BKB made it’s inception.  The concept of BKB introduced a modernized version of Boxing in it’s original form Bare-Knuckle Boxing with the use of specially designed Boxing gloves with the knuckles being exposed inside the glove.  What also made the BKB concept truly unique was the area where all fights in BKB are fought. The fighting area known simply as the “BKB Pit.”

The BKB Pit unlike a traditional 20x20 Boxing ring has no ropes measuring seventeen feet in diameter and 227 square feet. In it’s brief history the BKB Pit has ensured for entertaining bouts. In addition to the fighting area where all fights in BKB are fought, also implemented was the use of two minute rounds.  The format of BKB from the pit, to shorter rounds than a traditional three minute round has made the concept of BKB fan friendly. In addition to rounds lasting two minutes in duration, BKB also features an open scoring format in that official scores are announced at the end of each round to the fighters and the crowd in attendance. All fights in BKB are scored using the traditional 10-point must system. In covering the first two BKB cards I expressed my opinion that the concept of BKB has the potential to grow, discussed similarities between where BKB is currently, and where the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) was when it debuted in the United States in the early 1990s.

Much as the sport of MMA evolved over a period of time from essentially no holds barred fighting to it’s current form, so too is the concept of BKB.  How is it evolving?  Beginning with the third BKB card, which will take place at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday night August 16th, BKB will no longer be using the knuckle exposed gloves that were used in the first two BKB cards. Traditional Boxing gloves will be used weighing between eight and ten ounces depending on the weight class in which a fight takes place.  The change to the use of regular Boxing gloves has also resulted in a name change for this concept. Although the initials will remain the same BKB will now be known as Big Knockout Boxing.

Although some may be critical of the decision of BKB to use traditional Boxing gloves, this observer applauds those behind BKB.  Whenever there is a new concept or a would be new sport put into practice there are two major things that those behind the concept/new sport will have to contend with. Beginning with the initial reaction of the public who you want to support the concept/sport and as well the necessity of regulation by state athletic commissions. 

 

Although BKB originally used knuckle exposed gloves and even though there were no major injuries in the first two cards with use of those gloves, the concept needed to evolve.  An obvious benefit of using traditional Boxing gloves going forward will likely be that BKB will be able to be licensed in more states by athletic commissions.  This would open the door for BKB to be able to stage more cards per year. As was the case with the sport of MMA, once changes in the format of the sport were made and state athletic commissions gradually began regulating the sport, it allowed MMA to grow into a global powerhouse.  There is no denying that MMA has not only become one of the most popular combat sports, but also throughout all of sports.

An argument can be made that by adapting the use of traditional Boxing gloves into the BKB concept that it will allow BKB to grow and not face the struggle that MMA has faced in regard to licensing and regulation in many states. Another benefit could be the potential to attract more boxers due to using the same Boxing gloves that are used in traditional Boxing rings.  The main event of BKB 3 is a good example.  Top Middleweight contender Bryan Vera will face former two-time world title challenger Gabriel Rosado in a bout for the BKB Middleweight championship. 

Both Vera and Rosado have garnered significant attention in recent times due to each of their efforts against top level opposition. Many will remember Vera for his losses against former WBC Middleweight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Many observers, this one included felt that Vera won the first fight, but did not get the decision. Despite losing to Chavez a second time earlier this year, Vera’s aggressive style has won him the respect of both Boxing fans and experts.  

Much like Bryan Vera, Gabriel Rosado has a similar style in that he is aggressive and throws punches at a high volume. Recently while discussing the upcoming BKB card on Twitter I stated that this fight has action written all over it. When you take into account that this fight will not be held in a traditional Boxing ring, but will instead take place under the BKB format in the Pit, which is tailor-made for fighters who like to fight on the inside and due to the narrow space, the Pit does not favor fighters who like to use lateral movement.  There is no doubt in my mind given both fighters style and willingness to let their hands go that this could be the fight of the night.

Vera vs. Rosado headlines a seven bout card.  Also featured on this card is a rematch from BKB 2 for the BKB Jr. Middleweight championship between Eddie Caminero and longtime Welterweight and Jr. Middleweight contender David Estrada in what is the first rematch in BKB history.  In the first fight Caminero and Estrada engaged in a toe to toe battle where each fighter had their moments.  Caminero earned a hard fought unanimous decision.  It will be interesting to see if Estrada can reverse roles with Caminero in the rematch. 

Other fights on this card include:

Anthony Johnson vs. Dimar Ortuz for the BKB Cruiserweight championship

Javier Garcia vs. Darnell Jiles for the BKB Welterweight championship

Ricardo Pinell vs. Khurshid Abduliaev

Carson Jones vs. Said El Harrak

Kendo Castaneda vs. Gabe Duluc

An encouraging sign of the growth of BKB along with the adaptation of traditional Boxing gloves is that BKB 3 will be the first BKB card to be carried on pay-per-view in the United States by both cable and satellite providers for a price of $29.95. Previously BKB was only televised via pay-per-view exclusively to subscribers of United States television provider DirecTV.  Although BKB has done a slight revamp in adapting traditional Boxing gloves and undergoing a name change, the concept/sport has in it’s brief history thus far in it’s first two cards delivered on what it has promised. To provide entertaining, action-packed bouts. 

 

For those of us who have witnessed the birth of a new concept/sport we have been thoroughly entertained. It is not often that a writer and historian such as myself is given the opportunity to cover a sport from the beginning concept. This sport has great potential to grow and now will be presented to wider audience as more Boxing media outlets will be covering this event. I welcome you all with enthusiasm.  BKB 1 and 2 provided tremendous action and excitement.

I have no reason to expect anything different for BKB 3.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

For more information about BKB: Big Knockout Boxing and a list of cable and satellite providers carrying BKB 3: Vera vs. Rosado please visit: www.bkb.tv 

 

 

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What’s Next For Jacobs, Peterson, And Garcia?

On August 9th the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York played host to a Boxing card, which was headlined by a tripleheader that may produce some interesting storylines in the future.  Although some might feel the card headlined by Jr. Welterweight world champions Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson competing in separate bouts, and top Middleweight contender Daniel Jacobs, fighting for interim/regular champion status in the WBA’s Middleweight ratings did not provide much in the way of competition for the aforementioned headliners, it did serve as a showcase of what might lead to some interesting fights for all three.

The Middleweight fight on this card pitted WBA number four rated contender Daniel Jacobs facing the number two contender Jarrod Fletcher in a bout to determine interim/regular champion status in the WBA ratings. Jacobs was very impressive in this fight as he controlled the tempo of the fight from the outset and scored knockdowns in rounds one and five to earn a stoppage in the fifth round.

Jacobs now finds himself as one of three fighters who hold some form of champion status as recognized by the World Boxing Association (WBA) in the Middleweight division. The current unified WBA/IBO world champion is Gennady Golovkin, while Jacobs and WBA number one contender Dmitry Chudinov each hold interim/regular status. Ironically both Jacobs and Chudinov fought for their status on the same day as Chudinov scored a third round knockout of the WBA number twelve rated contender Medhi Bouadla in Crimea, Russia.

Readers may recall following Gennady Golovkin’s recent title defense over Daniel Geale when I briefly discussed these two fights for interim/regular status as to whether or not the two fights would lead to the two winners facing off to determine a mandatory challenger for Golovkin. It still remains to be seen. Jacobs however, did state after his win over Fletcher that he would like to face current WBO champion Peter Quillin in what would be a very interesting fight and an encounter that would generate significant interest in New York where both fighters are based.

The political landscape of the sport and designations of interim/regular champion status by the WBA notwithstanding, Daniel Jacobs is very much a player in a talent stacked Middleweight division and poses an interesting challenge for anyone in the division whether they be a world champion or a top contender. With the deep depth that the Middleweight division has to offer, there are certainly several options on the table for Jacobs going forward if a fight with Gennady Golovkin or Dmitry Chudinov is not in his immediate future.

The other potential fight that might be made in the future coming out of last weekend’s card could be a unification bout between Jr. Welterweight world champions Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson. Peterson successfully defended his IBF world title on this card with a tenth round stoppage of number thirteen rated IBF contender Edgar Santana. Peterson’s solid attack to the body and head and higher offensive output were simply too much for the challenger who could not find a way to nullify Peterson’s consistent pressure and offense. Despite the “Game” effort of Santana, the fight was justly stopped by Ringside physician Dr. Bobby Jordan shortly before the conclusion of round ten.

With the win Peterson has now won five out of his last six fights with a defeat coming at the hands of top contender Lucas Matthysse, who stopped Peterson in three rounds in a non-title bout last year. Peterson however, has rebounded from that defeat with two successful title defenses and has now successfully defended his title three times overall. 

Peterson’s counterpart the unified WBC/WBA Jr. Welterweight world champion Danny Garcia closed the show on this card in devastating fashion scoring three knockdowns of contender Rod Salka in round two to score the knockout in a non-title bout. Much as is the case with Daniel Jacobs, there are several options that could be on the table for both Peterson and Garcia coming out of this card.

The 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division much like the 160lb. Middleweight division is a weight class that has plenty of depth with several names including three-division world champion Adrien Broner, Hank Lundy, Lucas Matthysse, Humberto Soto, Mauricio Herrera, and Ruslan Provodnikov just to name a few. In the opinion of this observer however, a fight to further unify the Jr. Welterweight division between Garcia and Peterson makes sense, with the recently newly crowned WBO champion Chris Algieri moving up in weight to challenge Manny Pacquiao for the WBO Welterweight world championship in November.

Although Jacobs, Peterson, and Garcia were dominant in their respective bouts last weekend and, despite the opinion of some that perhaps the fights were mismatches, fight cards that serve as a showcase for world champions and rising stars can set up potential lucrative fights down the road, assuming of course that the headliners are successful in winning their bouts. There is after all a reason why fights take place. Even though there was nothing that emerged out of this card that would prevent any of the three from potentially securing big money fights down the road, even when fights are meant to be a “Showcase” or a “Tune-Up” there is always the potential for an upset. 

As I have often said over the years “Anything can happen at any given time in the sport of Boxing and that is what makes our sport great.” 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.” 

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

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 

 

Fury-Chisora Rematch Rescheduled

The highly anticipated rematch between top Heavyweight contenders Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora has been officially rescheduled for November 22 and will take place at the ExCel Exhibition Centre in London, England.  The fight, which was originally scheduled to take place on July 26th, was postponed after Chisora fractured his left hand in his last sparring session before the fight was to take place.

Both Fury and Chisora are coming off victories on the same card in February of this year. Fury’s fourth round knockout of Joey Abell and Chisora’s convincing twelve round unanimous decision over Kevin Johnson set the stage for the rematch of their fight in July 2011. In that fight Fury scored a twelve round unanimous decision over Chisora for the British and Commonwealth Heavyweight titles.

The stakes of the rematch are higher than the first encounter between Fury and Chisora. This fight will not only have both the British and European Heavyweight titles on the line, but will also determine a mandatory challenger in the World Boxing Organization’s (WBO) ratings for current unified IBF/WBO/WBA/IBO Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.

At the conclusion of this fight the landscape of the Heavyweight division could change as the winner could be next in line for Wladimir Klitschko if Klitschko is successful against his next challenger Kubrat Pulev. The Klitschko-Pulev fight will take place September 6th in Germany.

It would appear that the winner of that fight will face the winner of the Fury-Chisora rematch perhaps in 2015. Now with the rematch between Fury and Chisora is officially rescheduled as well as former WBA champion Ruslan Chagaev earning interim/regular status in the WBA ratings by defeating Fres Oquendo last month, if Klitschko is successful against Pulev It appears that he will already have two mandatory defenses lined up for 2015.

Stay Tuned.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 

 

Hopkins, Kovalev, Stevenson: The Full Unification Of The Light-Heavyweight Division?

Over the last year a storyline that has continued to interest Boxing fans and experts alike has been the changing landscape of the Light-Heavyweight division. The division has seen three fighters emerge as it’s dominant figures. Future Hall of Famer and current IBF/WBA champion Bernard Hopkins and rising stars in WBO champion Sergey Kovalev and WBC champion Adonis Stevenson.

A scenario that appeared would see two world champions face-off with the winner to face the third world champion of the division to determine an undisputed Light-Heavyweight world champion appeared as though it may not come to fruition due to the politics of the sport involving rival networks. This however, changed prior to Sergey Kovalev’s third title defense last Saturday against previously undefeated former IBO champion Blake Caparello in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

It was announced the day before the fight that Kovalev and Bernard Hopkins had signed a contract to meet in a unification bout in November. The agreement was however, contingent on Kovalev being successful in his title defense against Caparello. There would not be anything that would derail the unification fight between Hopkins and Kovalev when Kovalev met Caparello.

Despite being knocked down by a Caparello straight left hand that connected as Kovalev was off- balance in round one, the champion quickly ended the fight in the second round. Kovalev dropped Caparello with a right hand to the body and following up with two more knockdowns forcing the fight to be stopped.

Under circumstances where some would probably assume a fighter would be under considerable pressure, Kovalev performed like a champion and simply took care of business. As most Boxing fans are aware of the knockout streak of current unified WBA/IBO Middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin who has scored seventeen consecutive knockouts, Kovalev in his own right has compiled an impressive knockout streak of his own. Kovalev’s knockout of Caparello was his ninth consecutive knockout.

Another commonality between Golovkin and Kovalev is that they have yet to be matched against fighters that most would consider elite level. As I stated following Gennady Golovkin’s knockout of Daniel Geale last month that I believe it is time for Golovkin to face fighters who are considered top stars, the same could have been said for Sergey Kovalev.

Kovalev however, will get his opportunity when he faces Bernard Hopkins in November. When it comes to the elite fighters of the sport, Hopkins is as elite as they come. Some might recall that it was not too long ago when Kovalev was the mandatory challenger for Hopkins prior to Hopkins unifying his IBF title against WBA champion Beibut Shumenov earlier this year. Kovalev however, opted to take on WBO champion Nathan Cleverly in August of last year in a move that was considered a gamble by some.

After knocking Cleverly out in four rounds, and three knockout victories in title defenses, one might argue that the fight between Hopkins and Kovalev is now bigger not only due to the fact that it will be a unification bout, but also due to Kovalev’s star being on the rise. What the fight between Hopkins and Kovalev will also do in the short-term is that it will push WBC champion Adonis Stevenson to the side while most of the attention will likely be focused on the upcoming showdown between the two. For his part, Stevenson is scheduled to defend his world title on September 27th in Montreal against an opponent yet to be determined.

The Hopkins-Kovalev fight will also present an intriguing storyline that will attract the attention of both the hardcore Boxing enthusiast as well as the casual fan. Can the future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins at nearly fifty years old duplicate a feat that he accomplished when he completely unified the Middleweight division with his knockout win over Oscar De La Hoya in 2004. Will Hopkins completely unify a second weight class at this stage of his career? Whether or not the winner of that fight will face Adonis Stevenson or whomever the WBC champion might be to determine an undisputed champion remains to be seen.

We will see whether Hopkins can continue his unification quest when he faces Sergey Kovalev in November on a date yet to be determined. It is clear to this observer however, that the ingredients are there for not only a highly anticipated battle, but also what will likely be a memorable night of Boxing.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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

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