The best BKFC card of the year deserves your attention, here’s why!
On June 21st at BKFC 62 by our count the best bare knuckle card of the year is set to take place. It’s headlined but not one, not two, but three championship fights! While it would take a small book to tell you literally everything you need to know, we did our best to do it all in just one article.
(Photo Courtesy: BKFC)
Kai Stewart (c) vs Bryan Duran - BKFC Featherweight Title Fight
Kai Stewart (5-0, 2 KO’s) is one of the most talented and dynamic fighters in all of bare knuckle, ranked at number five on Bare Knuckle nations pound for pound list. At just 23 years old, he is the youngest champion on the BKFC roster and in a sport filled with aging stars, the sport is ripe for the taking, but to be a star and stay at the forefront of the publicity, you need to win, and that certainly won’t be made easy by his opponent Bryan Duran (6-0, 6 KO’s).
Duran is an anomaly in the fight game, he actually made his professional debut inside the squared circle, with ZERO amateur career. None. The first time he threw a sanctioned punch was in BKFC. “El Gallo” has taken the featherweight division by storm collecting knockouts in every single one of his fights to this point, including a KO of former world title challenger Louie Lopez, an opponent Stewart went the distance with.
As an added bonus, these guys HATE each other. Whether you say it was manufactured heat to build the fight, it's certainly real now. All I know is there better be extra security around this weekend for the faceoff.
(Photo Courtesy: BKFC)
Keith Richardson (c) vs Alberto Blas - BKFC Bantamweight Title Fight
Keith “Rockstar” Richardson (4-0, 3 KO’s) showed up in January of 2023, and decided he was taking over the division. In just 10 months and four fights he had won the Bantamweight title knocking out Reggie Barnett jr. in a lopsided affair. Richardson is a former Marine and has stated in an interview with BK Nation “I was a former gunfighter, I’m not going to be intimidated by a fist fight.” Richardson also lost his father in the lead up to his BKFC debut and has dedicated every fight since, to his father. In another bone chilling quote he stated “I’d hate to be the man that tries to take something away from me.”
The next man to try is Alberto Blas (4-0, 4 KO’s) who will look to claim gold for the first time in his career. Blas debuted a few months before Richardson but has gone on a similar run, destroying everyone in his path. With an average fight time of just 58 seconds, we haven’t seen much of him, but it's been enough. While “Rockstar” Richardson has shown to be unbreakable both in the ring and out of it, Blas has shown to be unstoppable. It’s kill or be killed for Bantamweight’s ultimate prize!
(Photo Courtesy: BKFC)
Jomi Escoboza vs Jared Warren - Vacant BKFC Light Heavyweight Title Fight
In our antepenultimate bout, bare knuckle’s light heavyweight mainstay Jomi Escoboza (9-1, 5 KO’s) will look to make North American bare knuckle history and become the first two promotion champion at 185-lbs. And as an added bonus he will get a chance at what he calls “Vengeance”. He will face the only man to defeat him in a bare knuckle fight, Jared Warren (6-2-1NC, 5 KO’s).
The rematch nearly two years in the making, will be for the vacant BKFC Light Heavyweight championship. While Escoboza has tasted gold before with BYB, this is Warren’s first championship opportunity after more than four years in the gloveless game. While rematches are usually reason enough for a good scrap, the added bonus of the world championship will add even more fuel to the fire!
Leonardo Perdomo (3-0, 3 KO’s)
The future of the heavyweight division is right here (I really hope I don’t jinx it). But this guy is dynamite, 3-0 with 3 KO’s and only one fight has gotten past the first minute. He’s big, strong, and stays low to the ground in his stance, exploding upward with power. But he will have his toughest test to this point when he faces Leo Bercier At BKFC 62.
Chrisitine Vicens (2-1, 1 KO) vs Melanie Shah (2-1)
The undercard will feature a stellar fight from the women's flyweight division. It will see undefeated Christine Vicens make her return after nearly a year and a half since her last appearance face off with former world title challenger Melanie Shah in a bout that will make a strong case for the winner to fight for the title. Vicens also holds a win over current number one contender Jade Masson-Wong.
Gee Perez (3-1, 3 KO’s)
Fan-favourite “Cutman” Gee Perez will also make his return after suffering an injury in his bout with Bryce Hall back in August of 2023. But this time he will be at his natural weight after going up more that 30+ pounds to face Hall at 170. And back down at 130, he went 3-0 with all three coming by way of KO. He will face the ready and willing Albert Inclan who is coming off a loss to Top 5 ranked Chris Garcia.
Chris Garcia (3-0, 2 KO’s)
And speak of the devil, number three ranked bantamweight Chris Garcia will look to earn his title shot against the winner of our co-main event when he takes on Micah Livingston. The high ranked undefeated fighter will be a must-see fight, you could be seeing a future champion!
Justin Ibarolla (3-0, 1 KO)
Although not directly competing against Chris Garcia, number two ranked bantamweight Justin Ibarolla will be looking to make a statement of his own, and punch his ticket to a bantamweight world title fight with a win over Rick Caruso.
All in all this card is littered with great fights, and athletes you can’t afford to miss. To paraphrase a quote from the NBA world…
“If you don’t like this card, you don’t like bare knuckle fighting!”
Top photo courtesy of BKFC
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