One of the biggest rematches in BYB history has finally been announced.
On Monday November 9th, BYB announced that two division champion Lorawnt-T “Smash” Nelson (6-1-1, 6 KO) will defend his super middleweight crown against James “The Truth” Connelly (6-4-1, 1 KO). The bout will headline BYB 35 on January 11th, 2025 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This monumental fight will mark BYB’s debut in the state of New Mexico.
“LT”, currently ranked as the #3 pound for pound fighter by BK Nation, is quite possibly the toughest man in all of combat sports. His ability to walk through punishment and deliver his own is like something out of a movie. A brawling, wear and tear, death by a thousand cuts style has decimated both the 160 and 168-lb. divisions. Including a win over who many believe to be the best bare knuckler of the modern era, Barrie Jones.
And don’t let the four losses on Connelly’s resume fool you, while he struggled with wins and losses early in his career, he is one of the most talented bare knucklers active today. His background in amateur boxing was on full display when he was in the BKB ring as well as in his two trips to BYB’s “Mighty Trigon”. A lightning-fast and precisely accurate jab mixed with great footwork and ring IQ make him a tough fight for anybody.
On a personal note, I wasn’t following this sport all that closely the first time this fight came around so rewatching their first meeting is how I was introduced to both fighters. With the vacant BYB title on the line, these two went to war. Connelly tried to stick and move the best he could while Nelson attempted to close the distance and go to work in the clinch. Toughness and durability was shown by both in a thrilling tilt that went to the final bell. This one is the definition of “unfinished business”, because upon hearing the judged scorecards, this one was rendered a draw.
However, it would work out for each combatant with both of them fighting for a world title in their next bout. Nelson would stop Robert Serna and become the BYB 160-lb. champion, while Connelly would face all-time great Jimmy “The King” Sweeney back in BKB, although he would come up short in a very close fight.
However with the merger that happened earlier this year, this was a bout that was on everyone’s wish list, and now we have it. Connelly knocked out Mark Tiffin in his most recent bout, the first stoppage win of his bare knuckle career. Nelson would add another championship this time at 168-lbs. and as I mentioned earlier, stopped the legend Barrie Jones in August of this year.
Below are two quotes. One from LT and one From Connelly provided by BYB during the announcement press release.
LT: “James is now a friend, but just like I've said in the past, as soon as I step in that Trigon, I'm trying to kill; and James better be ready to take it to that point because I'm always ready to go and I'm ready to die in there.”
Connelly: “We are two of the best in the world and I’m happy that this inevitable rematch is finally happening. Nelson is a great guy, but we are fighters, and when that bell rings, we haven’t got time to be friends.”
While it seems both men have become friendly since their storied clash, there’s no friends in the Trigon. It's LT Nelson vs James Connelly, We are in for another instant classic.
Photos Courtesy of BYB Extreme.
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