Only Samuel Liera had beaten Lorawnt T ‘Smash’ Nelson in the trigon previously and their rematch was one of the most anticipated bareknuckle fights ever.
Fair to say it delivered!
In the most exciting opening 60 seconds of a fight you will see this year, both hit the canvas.
‘Smash’ went on to score a stunning one-punch KO, ending the drama after only 83 seconds.
It’s been quite a year for ‘Smash.’
Going into 2025 there were two blemishes on his record, a draw with James Connelly and the loss to Liera.
He beat James on points in Wolverhampton in March and has now flattened Samuel as well.
‘Smash’ is a two-weight world champion, the pound for pound No 1 and let’s see what he does next.
Barrie Jones wants a rematch of 2024’s best fightup at light-heavyweight and ‘Smash’ hasn’t ruled it out.
Other fights to look forward to include a possible match between Dan Podmore and Marko Martinjak.
What a fight that would be!
It came a step closer in Nashville after Marko chinned Maurice Morris in 150 seconds in Nashville.
That made it four straight first-round KOs for Marko.
‘The Emperor of Bareknuckle Boxing’ and ‘Big Pod’ have to be two of the most exciting fighters on the planet and a clash between them would be one of the biggest in combat sports.
Watch this space.
Next for us is BKB 43 in Bolton on July 5.
The Hideout is a new venue for us and we expect it to be packed for another show that guarantees excitement.
We could see a new star emerge in Bolton.
Kallum Skhane was a top-class amateur gloved boxer who has been punch perfect in the trigon so far and in Harry Gigliotti he faces an unbeaten world champion.
It promises to be a great night so get your tickets before they all go.
Until next week
Jim Freeman
(Head of Operations, BYB Europe)