No one knows about the transition from traditional boxing to bare-knuckle boxing better than Austin Trout. And when it comes to star pugilists that could succeed just like he has in Bare-Knuckle Fighting Championship, he has a few names in mind.
Earlier this month, Austin Trout stamped his place as one of the new stars of BKFC when he moved his record in the promotion to 2-0 when he dethroned welterweight champion Luis Palomino. With the victory the one-time WBA light middleweight titlist made history when he became the first fighter ever to win titles in the similar but different sports.
While some in the boxing industry have frowned upon the growth of BKFC and how they have made an old-school sport new again, Trout is a pioneer in being a former star boxer who has made the switch to gloveless boxing. And his success could certainly open the door for more stars from gloved boxing to bring their talents to BKFC in the future.
Austin Trout believes Terence Crawford would be an absolute ‘monster’ in bare-knuckle boxing
In a recent conversation with Sportsnaut, the new BKFC welterweight king was asked about veteran boxers who would be a good fit for bare-knuckle just like him, and several names came to mind including, arguably, the best boxer on the planet right now.
“You know who would be a monster in bare-knuckle? Terence Crawford. He would be a monster,” Trout said. “He’s got that wrestling background too so he’d be able to hold your head and just manhandle you. Nagy Aguilera, who’s not as well known as a boxer but in this bare-knuckle game he would be a better bare-knuckle fighter than a boxer, and he was a pretty damn good boxer.
“Mike Perez. He’s one of the Cuban fighters — I believe he was a cruiserweight — he would be a monster. There’s a lot that wasn’t necessarily at the top of boxing but I think would beat a lot of top boxers in bare-knuckle.”
Crawford moved his record to 40-0 in the summer with a dominant victory over Errol Spence Jr. as he unified all the current titles in the welterweight division. The next card on the 2024 BKFC schedule will come on Feb. 16 when the promotion produces a Prospect Series event in Manassas, Virginia.
