We kick off our Year in Review series with one of the very best.
While BKFC’s 115-lb. and BYB’s 112-lb. divisions weren’t as active as the fans may have liked, when they did show out, they made it worth it! Britain Hart spent another 12 months as BKFC’s Strawweight Queen making her lone appearance at one of the biggest cards of the year, BKFC 63. While in BYB they crowned their first flyweight ruler Agnesa Kirakosian. While the divisions are pretty cut and dry, there are still some question marks heading into 2025. Here is our Year in Review for the 112 & 115lb. weight classes.
BKFC:
Champion: Britain Hart
Defeated Taylor Starling via UD on August 3rd.
Just one appearance from Hart this year, but it was worth it. One of the best fights of the year put on by two of the very best in the world. Hart was just a step ahead all night taking the cards by a clear margin, but not without some pushback from Starling. BKFC 63 was the first event held at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota. It was one of the largest crowds of the year, and it was set outdoors! It was one of the spectacles that make bare knuckle as special as it is, headlined by one of its biggest stars. Here’s hoping we see more of the strawweight superstar in 2025, the only problem is she’s nearly cleaned out the division!
Contenders
Sarah Shell: The Doctor put the whole division on notice when she made her return to the squared circle dishing out five rounds of brutal punishment to Crystal Van Wyk and improving to 2-0, and gaining a Top 5 ranking.
Natalie Gage made a splash in her rookie year collecting two wins, one by stoppage to barge into the rankings.
Another win from either of these two rising contenders could warrant a date with the champion in 2025!
BYB:
Champion: Agnesa Kirakosian
Defeated Shelby Cannon via UD on April 24th.
After a stellar first year in bare knuckle where she won 2023 Fight of the Year, the former boxer turned bare knuckler was awarded a shot at BYB;s inaugural Flyweight championship. Kirakosian would make good on that opportunity and defeat the previously unbeaten Shelby Cannon. Unfortunately like her BKFC counterpart Hart, this was the lone appearance from “Spitfire” and after turning in the performances she has throughout her brief tenure, the fans are wanting more.
Contenders
Shelby Cannon got back in the win column December 6th following her unsuccessful bid to become champion. A unanimous decision win over Erisnelsy Torres keeps Cannon as the #1 ranked flyweight on BYB’s roster and given Kirakosians time off if a title fight is awarded she could get the jump on the champ in a rematch.
The overarching theme between both BKFC and BYB is the fact that we only saw each champion once in 12 months. For a growing sport like bare knuckle and the women's side of it where there are fewer weight divisions, that just simply can't happen. I’m not attempting to blame anyone in particular. I know how tough it is with fight negotiations, but it will be a blemish on both companies if it’s more of the same in 2025.
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