Alberto Blas is someone who stands atop the bare-knuckle mountain in the eyes of many, but he seemingly wants to redefine just how high up his vantage point truly is. Blas is set to defend his BKB super featherweight title inside the Mighty Trigon for the first time this weekend. The Cuban combatant will do so against the number one contender Brandon Birr which takes place at the James L. Knight Center in Miami on August 29th.
An undefeated multiple belt holder across multiple companies certainly is worth of Hall of Fame induction which transpired for Blas earlier this year who is now in the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame from earlier this year. When responding to what a distinction like that means to him, Blas said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Yes, it mean a lot because now my name going to stay all life, you know, coming. a lot of young fighters, a lot of young kids, a lot of young people are going to see my name in the Hall of Fame. I feel great for the opportunity and yeah, one of my goals are already complete.”
BKB
Blas is a double world champion, a double champ in different divisions, and double champ in different companies, no less. The 31-year-old is still undefeated in gloveless combat and when addressing his BKB title win at 130 pounds while touchign on his prior BKFC title win at 135 pounds, Blas stated [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Yeah, crazy because a lot of time before I say listen, I’m going to be the best bare knuckle [fighter] in the world and I’m going to continue do the same. I’m going to continue try be the best and I’m going to be the best bare knuckler [fighter] in the world. I’m going to be the great Bare knuckler [fighter] in the world. Not only the best 135, 130. No, no, no. I’m going to be the great, great Bare knuckle [fighter] in the world. all people are gonna see in life.”
Expounding upon wanting to undeniably be regarded as the top pound-for-pound fighter this sport has ever seen, Blas quipped [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Yeah. I know. I don’t want to be second or the number five, number four. No, no. I want to be the number one pound for pound in the world.”
BKB 58
When asked if there is a particular importance to notching this first BKB title defense, just to further underscore that legacy element of his bare knuckle run, Blas said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Yeah. of course going to be great defend my belt, continuing on my legacy. yeah after the fight, I’m not going to fight 130 anymore. I going to go up because yeah I going to; I want to continue take belts from people [laughs]. I’m coming for 135, 140, and you never know, maybe 145 too.”
When one conquers multiple weight divisions, they soemtimes ebcome inspired to attempt to climb the hierarchies of more. This clearly applies to the warrior with dual promotion championship accolades, as Blas stated [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Yeah, I’m think about that. I’m think about that because I don’t want to stay only 130. I already complete a lot 130 and ready. I’m compete already 135 in BKfC. Now I want to compete at 135 in BKB. after I’m going to go up to 140. I’m ready.”
BKB Miami
Delving into the specifics of the weight ranges he would want to navigate inside the BKB Mighty Trigon, Blas quipped [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“I’m ready. time after time. after I finish at 130, I’m think about 135. after I’m finished at 135, I’m think about 140. I don’t care who 145, 140, I am ready to fight wherever in the division.”
Alberto Blas is already stirring things up as evidenced by his heated encounter with Jon Barnard, the BKB lightweight champ, inside the Mighty Trigon at a prior show. When touching upon the Barnard beef, Blas said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Yeah, now you see. I lose the belt and now the belt different way. yeah I think when I’m finished at 130, they’re going to give me the opportunity to fight 135. I want a 135 belt too. I don’t want to only stay 130 No, no.”
BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing
When expressing if he had been fpollowing along at al what has been happening with the BKFC bantamweight belt he previously held but never actually lost, Blas stated [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Yeah, I only focus on my [career] in BKB, only focus on my career. I hear about [justin] Ibarrola later the Belt vacant. I’m going to say again, I never lose the belt. I’m the 135 champ, I’m the 135 champ. Nobody take the belt from me. I’m the real champ. That’s it.”
As someone who fights out of Miami, while considering his Cuban roots and the massive Cuban diaspora out in the Florida city, Blas said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Yeah. All my people here, all my Latino, all my Cuban [people], American people too, but normally more Latino in Cuba. I’m at home close to my house, 10 minutes away. close to all my people and I’m going to see all my people close to me.”
‘The Cuban Crocodile’ Yordan Fuentes clashing with ex-BKFC Keegan Vandermeer is but one of the intriuing fights that features a Cuba-based brawler, as Blas quipped [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Yeah. Almost all the card coming from Cuban people, Yampier, yordan, Uly, Gustavo, me, Gamboa, a lot of Cuba. A lot of Cuba. And it gonna be a great, great event for real. going to be a great, great event here in Miami. big crowd, all Cuban, all Latino. everybody gonna support us this day.”
Alberto Blas has a big surprise for BKB 58, maps out anothe belt next, and explains his secret to success
Blas’ adversary for Saturday, Brandon Birr, is not just the top ranked contender in the weight class but is a former BKB featherweight champion in his own right. When touching upon what Birr brings to the table as an opponent in terms of his skill set and general pedigree, Blas said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Yeah, the guy is good. The guy good. The guy coming to win. Everybody want to win and more, if you face the best 135 or the best 130, or the number 10 pound for pound in the world, of course you want to win, Yeah, that guy is good. That guy coming to win. I’m gonna be ready. I’m gonna be ready. I’m gonna be ready for battle.”
When mentioning how it seems like the champ has an eagerness to show off some sizable leveling up in his skillset, Blas stated [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“I say the same, every camp, for me the same thing. only bring more thing to myself to my camp. now I have surprise for you guys on August 29th. I have surprise, I have surprise. I can’t say but I have surprise for you guys.”
Bare Knuckle Boxing
While some see Jarod Grant vs. Bekhzod Usmonov at October’s BKB Biloxi card as a title eliminator, the super featherweight champ has other ideas, as Blas quipped [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Yeah, going to be good fight, that one too. But if I move up, I have to go straight to my belt. these two can wait, it’s my moment, my time. I have to go straight to my belt. after, whatever can come for me.”
Making his case for leapfrogging over the Usmonov vs. Grant victor in the Fall, Blas said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“I’m the number one contender at 135, too. you have to give me the challenge. You have to. you have to give me the chance. You have to. I’m the number one contender at 135, I’m the champion at 130, I’m in the hall of fame. I’m the number 7 or 8 pound for pound in the world. I’m the number one 135 in the world and you have to, you need to give me the chance.”
Blas in BKB
With lightning quick finishes but in a technically efficient way where he’s never overzealously overstepping, when asked where does the composure and mentality come from him while he’s competing in a visceral sport like this, Blas stated [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“I pray to God always. I pray before when I’m in the room and pray when I’m in the ring. I give everything to God. Everything, everything to God. yeah, I never make that pressure to my head. Okay, I have to finish. I have to finish it, Never. I’m ready to go to a deep water. Six rounds, 3 minutes. Not, only one round. Six rounds, three minutes. Okay. They are blessed at coming and I’m finishing in one round, Okay. Thank you. but I never rush. I’m ready to go to the deep waters, sic rounds, three minutes. That’s it.”
Also in terms of how to not rest on laurels even though he is already a Hall of Famer with deep accolades, when asked how he maintains this unassailably solid drive to keep accomplishing even more in bare knuckle, Blas quipped [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“My kid. my kid give me the strength, my kid give me this mind. Because sometimes, you are in bed and you don’t want to wake up. you want to stay in bed all day, but I have to wake up. I have to go up. I have to train. I have to run. I have to punch. I have to go to a gym. I have to do it. mandatory. I have to go. because I want to give the best life I can do to my family and more to my kid. my kid, to my kid, I am focused like that.”
