Ben Rothwell is pursuing the BKFC heavyweight title after a victorious second bare-knuckle boxing match against Josh Copeland.
Ben Rothwell is officially pursuing the BKFC heavyweight title after pushing his bare-knuckle boxing record to 2-0 at BKFC 41 with a third-round stoppage of Josh Copeland. Rothwell’s second appearance in the bare-knuckle boxing ring proved to be a tougher challenge as he was forced to overcome early adversity before turning the tide against Copeland. The fight ultimately ended when Copeland’s corner decided to stop between rounds.
Rothwell shared insights from the fight on The MMA Hour, revealing that most of the damage to his right eye was done within the first 10 seconds. He had to make adjustments between rounds, knowing that as a heavyweight, opponents only need a few good shots to win. The 41-year-old Rothwell is now in the mix for the BKFC heavyweight championship.
With only one fight left on his contract, Rothwell expressed the hope of continuing to compete for BKFC for the foreseeable future. After his latest win, he called out BKFC heavyweight champion Alan Belcher, who was sitting ringside for the fights. Belcher is a former UFC middleweight and another BKFC crossover success story, boasting a 4-0 heavyweight record in bare-knuckle boxing with three knockouts.
However, Rothwell isn’t sure whether the champ is willing and interested in fighting him, mentioning Belcher’s issues with the weight class. Rothwell generally walks around at over 300 pounds, while Belcher has weighed between 220 and 230 pounds for most of his bare-knuckle boxing bouts. BKFC’s heavyweight division consists of weights above 210 pounds, but Rothwell said he’s willing to be 285 to secure the fight with the reigning champion.