With the new year on the horizon, he is my wishlist for the next 12 months.
BYB’s schedule is done for 2024, and two events have been scheduled for 2025 so far. As more and more cards get announced here are some fights I hope are included in the mix.
1. Marko Martinjak vs. Dan Podmore
Two champions, Martinjak the Supercruiser and Podmore the Bridgerweight, are both at the top of divisions without a clear number one contender. Martinjak has called for this fight in the past, and Podmore has made it known he was open to the bout when speaking with Bare Knuckle Nation. These two have been in the elite stratosphere of BKB and now BYB for quite some time but it has never lined up weight wise. With both guys willing to dance, and no one with a clear case to get in the way of that, let’s make it happen!
2. Harold McQueen vs. Yampier Ramirez
Young Ramirez was one of BYB’s breakout stars in 2024. Making his debut earlier in the year and collecting a knockout win, before following it up with another in December. McQueen on the other side, won his Featherweight title in February but after an unsuccessful trip up to lightweight to face Jon Barnard (more on him later) the time has come to defend his title. A tough challenge in Ramirez gets McQueen back in the thick of it in the division where he is king, and for Ramirez, his stock could continue to rise if he were to be successful.
3. Harry Gigliotti vs Jon Barnard
Gigliotti became world champion after stopping Joe Fitzpatrick at BYB 32, but his first defence is still yet to be scheduled. For Barnard like I mentioned earlier, he stopped featherweight champion Harold McQueen in what was supposed to be a lightweight title eliminator. No word has been said about what Barnards status is, but with nothing major coming out about injuries or a surprise retirement, it can only be a matter of time before something gets announced. For the sake of the fans I hope it's a bout at 140-lbs. for Gigliotti’s title. Two pure boxers with confirmed knockout power that wear opponents out quickly would be must-see action.
4. Agnesa Kirakosian vs ANYONE
One of the many bright spots on the BYB roster, flyweight champion Kirakosian has been on the shelf since April of this year when she won her title. While it could be any number of things that's kept her out of the Trigon, the sport feel incomplete with her on the sidelines. For someone who had the Fight of the Year in 2023, someone like Kirakosian makes the sport better when they are in the mix. Let's hope in 2025, we get another year like 2023 from her where won two different awards from the Bare Knuckle. Boxing Hall of Fame.
5. Paty Juarez vs Helen Peralta
Juarez had whispers of retirement surrounding her in the lead up to her bout with Khortni Kamyron for the BYB Super Lightweight title. Meant to be a sending off party for Juarez, who would end her career as a two division champion with a win, saw a monkey wrench enter the mix when she was stopped due to a nasty cut thanks to the handiwork of Kamryon. While it's possible BYB just runs it back and tries again to give Juarez a good send off, I have another idea.
Having her fight the top female fighter on the BYB roster in Peralta as a title defence is the perfect retirement scenario. If she is victorious, she collects the best win of her career and solidifies herself as the best women's lightweight bare knucker of all time. If she were to come up on the short end, she took the hardest possible fight in the sport and passed the torch as BYB’s top female star to Peralta on the way out. In terms of a warriors send off, it doesn't get much better than that.
Top Photo Courtesy of BYB.
Comments