If you haven't heard of Big Knockout Boxing, it's a new combat sport organization owned by DirecTV. The tagline is "Putting the Knockout Back into Boxing." (where did it go?) Fights take place in a "pit" with no ropes and consist of five or seven two-minute rounds.
Interestingly, DirecTV staged two PPV events in 2013 under the moniker "Bare Knuckle Boxing" and fighters used gloves where the knuckle portion was removed. For the upcoming event, DirecTV has made the pivot to Big Knockout Boxing and traditional boxing gloves will be worn.
Here are some more salacious details from BKB.tv:
BKB is a new combat sport designed for fight fans who crave action, intensity, and most of all-big knockouts. Fights are furiously fast with just five or seven two-minute rounds. There's no time for hugging or dancing. In BKB, it's fight or lose.
The pit keeps fighters toe to toe. With no ropes and no corners, there's no choice but to engage. Plus, at just 17 feet across, it's about half the size of a traditional boxing ring. There's nowhere to hide.
Only the fastest, strongest, most aggressive fighters are selected for BKB. These are born brawlers who are slugging their way to the top. Anything less wouldn't survive the pit.
There's a promotional video at the site which further explains things, should you need further explains.
Gabe Rosado and Bryan Vera meet Saturday, August 16 for the "World Middleweight Championship" in Vegas. By virtue of fighting, Rosado and Vera lend a modicum of legitimacy to the organization. Whether it deserves legitimacy remains to be seen.
There's a much more in-depth article at The Sportsfan Journal, check it out.
I can't help but think of the XFL experiment which aimed to make football even more violent. That, like the BKB, seems like a solution in search of a problem.
How does this new "take" on boxing strike y'all?