Marko Martinjak isn’t planning to give Matty Askin much time to settle in tonight. Asked how their BKB 61 title fight ends, the Croatian champion needed just six words: “Knockout in the first round.” Martinjak defends his BKB bridgerweight world championship against Askin at indigo at The O2 in London on Saturday, November 14.
Trận đấu tranh đai của họ diễn ra cùng với trận đấu của cựu vô địch IBF hạng featherweight Lee Selby với Ollie Sentance. Nói trước trận đấu, Martinjak cho biết sự tự tin của anh đi kèm với sự hiểu biết về mức độ nhanh chóng mà môn quyền anh bare-knuckle có thể quay lưng lại với bạn.
“This is bare knuckle. This is not boxing,” he said. “One mistake can fuck you up.” That warning applies to both men. Martinjak enters with a 13-2 bare-knuckle record, with all 13 victories coming by knockout. Askin is 1-0 with one knockout in the sport, but he’s hardly learning how to throw a punch: the former British cruiserweight champion compiled a 23-4-1 professional boxing record before making the switch.
Marko Martinjak ở BKB
Askin’s size has been part of Martinjak’s preparation, rather than something he’s leaving to fight night. The champion said he recruited three sparring partners who were taller and bigger than him to help prepare for the challenger.
“It was very frustrating,” Martinjak said of those sessions, before describing them as valuable preparation. He thanked training partners Ivan, Vito and Mario for their work during camp. Despite making his living without gloves, Martinjak isn’t taking that approach into sparring.
He explained that his partners use 18-ounce gloves because of their size, with some weighing more than his usual 220–225 pounds. Friday’s weigh-in gave the matchup another detail to consider. Martinjak registered 220.6 pounds, while Askin came in at 224.2 pounds, putting the challenger 3.6 pounds heavier on the scales. Both made weight for the championship fight.
Martinjak traced his belief that bare-knuckle was the right sport for him back to his debut against Michael Perry. Losing that fight didn’t send him looking for another career. “I lost it, but I knew that I was made for this,” he said. He has since built a record in which none of his victories has required a judges’ decision. His previous title defences include a win over former UFC heavyweight Ike Villanueva at BKB 51.
Tonight, Askin gets the chance to interrupt that knockout record and take the belt.
