With a win over all-time great Barrie Jones, is that enough to make Nelson the number one fighter today?
On August 17th at BYB 30, Lorawnt-T Nelson (6-1-1) faced off with possibly the best bare knuckler of the modern era, Barrie Jones (10-1, 9 KO’s). While the bout was competitive in the opening round, LT’s relentless pressure and aggressive style quickly turned the tide. Nelson kept Jones backed into the corners of the Trigon, leaning on him and continually peppering him with shots, breaking down Jones’ defence.
A flurry of punches in the corner put Jones down in the second. While the “Welsh Wrecking Machine” did show signs of life at the end of the round, stinging Nelson with a few heavy shots, the third round was more of the same from Nelson. Eventually the deciding blow was struck, a right hook to the chin, and Jones would taste defeat for the first time in his bare knuckle career.
In the end this wasn’t an overly competitive bout, despite the look of LT’s face at the end of the bout you would think they went 70 rounds like John L. Sullivan and Jake Kilrain. LT was unfazed by the power of Jones and stood in the pocket dictating the fight exactly how he wanted it to go.
So the question remains, is Nelson the number one pound for pound fighter in the world? Let's set the parameters of my reasoning one way or the other.
1. Skills translations over multiple weights
2. Recent relevant résumé
So with that in mind, let's dive in.
Skills translations over multiple weights
This might be LT’s strongest piece on his résumé. With him holding three different belts in two different weight classes, and his public declaration that he doesn’t even cut weight when fighting at 168-lbs. He has also mentioned that he only fasts for one day to make 160-lbs. His public aspirations to go to 154-lbs, are obviously very realistic. But a move to 154 or not, his ability to bounce from 160-68 and have the consistent success he’s had, that makes a great case for Nelson.
LT’s most notable attributes include an iron chin that flat out refuses to be cracked, combined with suffocating pressure and pinpoint accuracy, there’s no reason to believe that an LT Nelson that competes at 200+lbs. or 125-lbs. wouldn’t achieve similar success.
Recent, Relevant, Résumé
This is a tough one, LT’s last three fights have been for a title one way or another and his performances have been no short of spectacular. But diving into his opponents, it's not quite where it needs to be to be number one. Robert Serna was 3-0 going into their bout, but Serna's opponents had a total combined record of 2-1.
Unfortunately it doesn't get much better after that. Tommy Tuner was brutally KO’d by Barrie Jones in 2023, and only added one win before again getting brutally KO’d by LT, all respect to anyone who enters a pro fight of any kind, but with the high standards that are required for PFP #1, a win over Turner can’t be the deciding factor.
Photo Courtesy of BYB
So that brings us to his most recent win, Jones. I would be remiss if I didn't bring up the fact that Jones was over a year out of the ring before entering this fight with Nelson at BYB 30. And in that same vein when we dive deeper into Jones’ record, before his loss to LT, he was 10-0 with nine knockouts, but seven of those wins came against guys with one win or less in bare knuckle. In his last two wins he was 8-0 going up against a 1-1 fighter and 9-0 vs. a 1-0 fighter. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the win over Jones may not hold the weight everyone thinks it does.
However, what LT has done in a bare knuckle tenure that stretches just over two years, is no short of legendary. His record includes three different championships and a 100% finish rate, but when diving into his opponents it may be tough to find a distinct win that puts him at number one. Top 3? Certainly. But not Top 1.
This is all completely subjective and is 100% just an opinion, not fact by any mean. As a fan of the sport, I would love to see LT go out and prove me wrong next time out. With the short time he has spent in the sport, one can only look at the trajectory and realize we are witnessing the building of another one of the all time greats, not just of the modern era, but in all of bare knuckle history! So while today, August 19th, 2024, my answer is no, he is not the number one bare knuckler in the world, that won't be the case for very long.
Top Photo Courtesy of BYB
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