A worthy contender is ready to face the champion of one of BYB’s premiere divisions.
When you look at how BYB has stacked up their schedule to end the year it takes less than a glance to realize it's nothing less than “Extreme”. Three different championship double headers finish out the 2024 calendar. However there is one more fight out there that is an absolute must: Jon Barnard vs lightweight champion Julio Tanori.
On June 14th, at BYB 27 “Untameable” Jon Barnard proved to be just that when he stopped BYB featherweight champion Harold McQueen in what was called a lightweight title eliminator. Despite the understanding of a title shot on the line BYB still had some unfinished business in the lightweight title picture.
135-lb. champ Julio Tanori won his title in the 2023 Fight of the Year over then champion Mark Irwin, so naturally a bout like that deserves a rematch, which happened just over a week ago, September 21st to be exact. With Tanori’s recent victory over Irwin in a decisive rematch, the path is now clear for Jon Barnard to challenge for the lightweight title, having proven himself as the top contender.
With Irwin falling by the wayside, that leaves just one clear contender at 35, Jon Barnard. Even furthering our narrative, just days ago, BYB made this post in regards to the Hawaii product.
Photo Courtesy of X @bybextreme.
Looming is a very interesting word but one can only assume the front office also knows he’s next up, it just isn’t official yet.
Since returning to combat sports, Barnard has won all three of his BYB appearances by knockout, showcasing his speed and durability as one of the most dangerous competitors in the promotion.
While in this potential matchup Barnard would likely be the underdog on the betting lines, anyone who has watched his three fights thus far won’t count him out. With the improvements we saw from Tanori from his first fight with Irwin to the second we can only assume he will continue to improve before a clash with Barnard.
Photo Courtesy: BYB
Despite being 35 years old, Barnard has only returned to competition for just over a year, demonstrating rapid improvement during this time. He has not only shown up in better physical condition for each return to the trigon, but has looked sharper both offensively and defensively too. It’s rare for two fighters to enter a championship match with the expectation that both will improve from their last performance, but bare knuckle boxing often defies the norm.
As BYB wraps up 2024 with an exciting lineup of title fights, I predict that early 2025 will feature Jon Barnard challenging Julio Tanori for the BYB Lightweight title, possibly in the first event of the year. Not only was this fight promised months ago, it has been alluded to just days ago! While anything can happen in the fight game this fight is a winner all around, and HAS to be next up!
Top Photo Courtesy of BYB.
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