The Cuban Olympic gold medallist and former world champion Yuriorkis Gamboa has become the latest retired professional boxer to enter bare-knuckle boxing after agreeing terms to fight in BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing.
James DeGale, the British Olympic gold medallist and former super-middleweight world champion, and Paulie Malignaggi, a world champion at junior welterweight and welterweight, are among those to have fought and won in the discipline during the previous 12 months, and Gamboa perhaps represents the most decorated recruit yet.
The 44-year-old won Olympic gold at Athens 2004, and while competing as a professional from 2007 to 2022 won world titles at featherweight and challenged for a version of the world lightweight title while fighting, among others, the great Terence Crawford, Gervonta “Tank” Davis, and Devin Haney. By then fighting beyond his natural weight division, he lost to each.
“Bare-knuckle boxing is the oldest form of boxing,” he said. “After winning an Olympic gold medal, world championships in boxing, now I’m focused and excited to become BKB Bare Knuckle world champion.
“I’m going to showcase my skills and show why I belong at the very top of this sport.”
