Conor Cooke defeated Anthony Holmes by third-round TKO to win the BKFC UK Light Heavyweight Title on Saturday in Derby. The British bare knuckle title fight headlined BKFC Fight Night Derby.
Cooke controlled distance and got the better of the action before the fight was stopped between rounds three and four. Holmes was troubled by a cut over the right eye from round one. The shorter Holmes tried his best to get inside but Cooke controlled range well.
Cooke, fighting out of Northern Ireland, improves his BKFC record to 6-1 (5 KOs) with the win. Holmes is now 5-3-1 (3 KOs).
Bradley Taylor def. Brian Hyslop-Unanimous Decision
Bradley Taylor remained unbeaten in the co-main event, improving to 4-0 with a unanimous decision over Scotlands Brian Hyslop. Official scores for the bantamweight bout were 49-46 (twice) and 48-47.
Paul Cook Draws with Matthew Wiwczaryk
Paul Cook and Matthew Wiwczaryk fought to a majority draw in the welterweight featured fight. Two judges scored the fight even at 47-47, while one judge favoured Wiwczaryk by the score of 48-46.
Cook knocked Wiwczaryk down with a right hand in round one. Cook got the better of the action at close range while Wiwczaryk showed some nice movement and combinations. Both fighters’ bare knuckle records now stand at 3-1-1.
Lewis Knox defeats Robbie Brown
Scottish featherweight Lewis Knox successfully debuted with a fourth-round knockout of Robbie Brown. Knox knocked Brown down in round three and ended the fight with a right hand in the fourth. Knox’s overall bare knuckle record improves to 5-2.
Simeon Ottley improved to 2-1 in BKFC. Ottley won a unanimous decision over Oscar Smykiel (1-1) by scores of 50-46 and 49-46 twice.
Liam Hutchinson overcame a badly swollen left eye to defeat Luke Brassfield by fifth-round TKO.
Leigh Cohoon (3-0) defeated Cory Hardy by third-round stoppage in a middleweight fight.
In the opening bout of the BKFC Derby main card, Tommy Hawthorn defeated Tommy Carus by second-round TKO in a lightweight bout. Hawthorn stunned Carus around a minute into the fight with a left. He got the clinch and knocked Carus down with a right hand.
Hawthorn scored two more knockdowns in round one, and dominated round two with three more knockdowns before the fight was stopped. It was the debut for both men.
BKFC Derby Prelims Results:Veteran Ricky Nelder Victorious
In the opening prelim, Will Smith stopped Luke Steele in a lightweight match up.
Smith pressured Steele in round one, working the right hand to the body. In round two, he exploded inside and landed a left upstairs that hurt Steele. Steele went down and the referee waved off the fight before finishing his count. It was the BKFC debut for both fighters.
Terri Diamond was too strong for Meghan O’Neill in a women’s strawweight battle. Diamond’s physical strength and power wore down O’Neill in a fight fought mostly in the clinch. O’Neill went down late in round one and didn’t want to continue.
Ricky Nelder earned his first BKFC win in the final prelim. The BKB Hall of Famer showcased his bare knuckle skills in a fourth-round stoppage win over Danny Leadbetter.
Nelder controlled the action throughout before ending the fight with a body shot in the fourth round.
Photos courtesy of BKFC
