The creators of Karate Combat are some of those involved in the funding of Mike Perry’s new fight promotion, Dirty Boxing Championship, which features former Olympian/UFC fighter Yoel Romero against Power Slap competitor Duane Crespo.
Like KC, this combat sports variation will feature a unique ruleset. It allows limited ground and pound as well as elbows to be used on top of traditional boxing – traditional except for the 5oz gloves which fighters will wear into battle, that is.
The oddities do not stop there. The inaugural event of this Mike Perry fronted promotion will take place behind closed doors, with only a limited amount of invited fans allowed. No online stream will be available for free or for purchase.
Perry says this is their unique way to market the show, by promoting it and letting nobody see it. People want what they can’t have, right?
And people do want Yoel Romero. Despite his fights often involving a lot of standing around, the big moments from the explosive Cuban former Olympic silver medalist in wrestling stick in people’s minds, and rightly so.
Yoel is a character and athlete who is truly unique in the annals of sport. His power and physique are still with him at 47-years-old, as can be seen in the hulking photos he took recently to promote the fight.
Later today, Yoel Romero is competing at HEAVYWEIGHT in Mike Perry’s Dirty Boxing event 😳 pic.twitter.com/6qr0TPnTx1
— Ben Davis (@BenTheBaneDavis) November 23, 2024
What really makes Romero the perfect man to main event the first Dirty Boxing Championship card is an infamous video from five years ago when he was preparing to fight Israel Adesanya for UFC middleweight gold.
Romero talked in one interview, in his usual intense way that remains compelling despite spotty English, about how anything can happen in a fight. He used an example of a famous upset Muhammad Ali took, saying. “Muhammad the best defense in the heavyweight. The best move in the heavyweight. But, shorter man, dirty boxing, he beat him one time.” The remark about ‘ditty boxing’ is one part of the clip which has in particular seen a lot of use online ever since.
Yoel Romero with one of the most intense interviews of all time 🥶
“Muhammad the best defense in the heavyweight.
The best move in the heavyweight.
But, shorter man, dirty boxing, he beat him one time.
*takes glasses off*
Everything is possible in your life.
When you… pic.twitter.com/qJcdqlpuyC— AFeldmanMMA (@afeldMMA) November 4, 2024
Maybe the promotional tactic will work, likely it just remains to be seen what fights come next for DBC.
Either way, it is unfortunate for fans that it will not be available to stream, though I am sure some videos will come out online in the coming days for promotional purposes.
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