Ever since two-time heavyweight world boxing champion Anthony Joshua expressed his love for bare-knuckle fighting, there has been ongoing speculation in the ungloved sport about whether the British slugger would ever “toe the line” himself.
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) founder David Feldman even told GIVE ME SPORT reporter Alan Dawson last year that Joshua would be an ideal candidate to recruit into the organization one day. In Feldman’s words: “Anthony Joshua said to the public that ‘My first favorite sport is boxing, and my second favorite is bare-knuckle fighting’.”
On Tuesday, November 25, former BKFC champion Austin Trout — who also held a world title in boxing — proposed what he believes could be the ideal crossover spectacle to bring boxing fans and UFC fans under one roof. Trout stressed that he does not expect Joshua to fight full-time in BKFC, but said the heavyweight would thrive as a one-off attraction against the right opponent.
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Anthony Joshua Backed to Fight in BKFC
Joshua has fought a who’s who of modern heavyweight fighters, including Wladimir Klitschko and Oleksandr Usyk, and despite his apparent love for bare-knuckle, he remains active in the sport and takes on the internet and crossover combat sensation Jake Paul in a legitimate heavyweight fight set for the 19th of December at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
If he were looking for a second crossover-type fight, the BKFC pound-for-pound great, Trout, had the ideal match to make. When talking about Joshua toeing the line, he was first aghast. “Who is going to fight Anthony Joshua in bare knuckle?” He asked on the latest episode of Combat X via Swerve Combat. Trout then paused before finding his own answer.
Trout said Derrick Lewis, a popular prizefighter who holds the record for most knockouts in UFC heavyweight history, could be an ideal fight for Joshua in BKFC.
“If we could get Derrick Lewis to fight Anthony Joshua in bare knuckle … holy smokes. That would be the sell.”
Trout continued: “Anthony Joshua is a boxing fundamentalist. He loves the game. And I think he loves and respects boxing. And bare knuckle is one of those sports that can coexist while still loving and respecting boxing,” he said, “because it is the original way that we boxed.”
A 40-year-old southpaw, Trout competed against a plethora of big name boxers during his heyday, including Miguel Cotto, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, and both of the Charlo brothers Jermell and Jermall. In BKFC, he is undefeated in four fights, won the BKFC welterweight title and defended it twice, and is now competing in a BKFC lightweight tournament.
Trout’s first fight in that competition is on the 5th of December as his rematch with Luis Palomino, whom he out-pointed in 2024, headlines BKFC85 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Other fights on the card include Justin Ibarrola against Royal Ryan Reber, and Leonardo Perdomo — dubbed the BKFC Mike Tyson — against Corey Willis.
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