Marko Martinjak, the Bridgerweight champion in Bare Knuckle Boxing (BKB) and a top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in gloveless combat, has stated that Oleksandr Usyk would present a less formidable challenge in a bare knuckle bout compared to Tyson Fury.
Martinjak, who vacated his BKB super cruiserweight title to focus on the heavier bridgerweight division, explained his preference for this weight class over a potential move to heavyweight. He views Usyk, the renowned Ukrainian boxer, as something of an exception in the sport.
When discussing why he is concentrating on bridgerweight and not overly interested in competing at heavyweight, Martinjak commented, “Listen, I’m a small heavyweight. Let’s be honest. I’m like 220, 225 pounds. So why should I go to fight with the guys who are like 6, 6’5, 6’6 feet and they have 250 lbs, 260 lbs. So that is; okay, we have [Oleksandr] Usyk who did that in professional boxing. But right now, I don’t see myself as a heavyweight. I want to conquer bridgerweight and we will see what future bring us.”
Usyk Less Intimidating in Bare Knuckle Than Fury, According to Martinjak
Recently, an interview clip emerged where Martinjak expressed his desire to face Oleksandr Usyk in a bare knuckle fight, confidently predicting a victory. Curiously, in another separate clip, the Croatian BKB champion appeared less enthusiastic about a bare knuckle encounter with Tyson Fury, showing less conviction in his ability to defeat ‘The Gypsy King’ in gloveless boxing.
When questioned if this assessment was influenced by the significant size disparity between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, despite Usyk’s two victories over Fury under traditional boxing rules, Martinjak responded, “Yes, [Oleksandr] Usyk is maybe couple of centimeters taller than me but he’s on the same weight like me. [Tyson] Fury is 6’9 and 270, 280 pounds. So if I want to hit him in the face, I would like have to jump, so. But you can’t jump in bare knuckle, not MMA, or for boxing. So definitely Tyson Fury would beat me because of that size. But if we are the same size, I would beat him in the bare knuckle. This is my game. I tell you before, I was born to to do this. Because every combat sport I did in the past, lead me to be the bare knuckle fighter that I am today.”
English Translation and Rephrasing:
Marko Martinjak, the Bridgerweight champion of Bare Knuckle Boxing (BKB) and a highly-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, suggests that Oleksandr Usyk would be a more manageable opponent in a bare knuckle fight than Tyson Fury. Martinjak, who relinquished his BKB super cruiserweight title to concentrate on the heavier bridgerweight division, sees Usyk as an anomaly in professional boxing.
When elaborating on his focus on bridgerweight and his reservations about moving up to heavyweight, Martinjak stated, “To be candid, I’m a smaller heavyweight, weighing around 220-225 pounds. It wouldn’t make sense for me to face opponents who are 6’5″ or 6’6″ and weigh 250-260 pounds. While Oleksandr Usyk has achieved success at heavyweight in professional boxing, I don’t see myself competing there currently. My goal is to dominate the bridgerweight division, and we’ll see what the future holds.”
Martinjak’s assertion stems from recent interviews. In one clip, he expressed a desire to fight Oleksandr Usyk in a bare knuckle bout and predicted he would win. However, in a separate clip, the Croatian BKB champion seemed less confident about facing Tyson Fury in the BKB Mighty Trigon, appearing less assured of defeating ‘The Gypsy King’ in a bare knuckle contest.
When asked if this confidence disparity was due to the significant size difference between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, despite Usyk’s past victories over Fury in traditional boxing, Martinjak explained, “Yes, Oleksandr Usyk is perhaps a few centimeters taller than me, but he’s around my weight. Tyson Fury, on the other hand, is 6’9″ and weighs 270-280 pounds. To strike him, I’d have to jump, which is not feasible in bare knuckle, MMA, or boxing. Therefore, Tyson Fury would undoubtedly defeat me due to that size advantage. However, if we were of similar size, I would defeat him in bare knuckle. This is my domain; I was born for this. Every combat sport I’ve pursued in the past has led me to become the bare knuckle fighter I am today.”
English Translation (Direct, maintaining original structure):
Oleksandr Usyk would be an easier task in a bare knuckle boxing bout than Tyson Fury according to one of the top pound for pound fighters in gloveless combat today. Marko Martinjak is helming the Bridgerweight division in BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing and previously relinquished the BKB super cruiserweight title to prioritize fighting in the heavier weight category.
When expressing why he is focused on bridgerweight and not as interested in a possible heavyweight move up, while mentioning the Ukrainian gloved boxing standout as a bit of an anomaly, Martinjak said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker]:
“Listen, I’m a small heavyweight. Let’s be honest. I’m like 220, 225 pounds. So why should I go to fight with the guys who are like 6, 6’5, 6’6 feet and they have 250 lbs, 260 lbs. So that is; okay, we have [Oleksandr] Usyk who did that in professional boxing. But right now, I don’t see myself as a heavyweight. I want to conquer bridgerweight and we will see what future bring us.”
Oleksandr Usyk not as fearsome in a bare knuckle context as tyson fury, per martinjak
There was a recent interview clip going around where Martinjak was saying that he would like to fight Oleksandr Usyk in bare knuckle and touted the fact that he would get the victory over the Ukranian legend. But also curiously enough, in another clip, the Croatian BKB champ didn’t seem so keen on fighting Tyson Fury in the BKB Mighty Trigon and didn’t seem as confident beating ‘The Gypsy King’ in bare knuckle boxing.
When asked if that assessment was rooted in the size discrepancy piece between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, despite the latter besting the former twice under Queensberry Rules, Martinjak stated [via Bare Knuckle Bowker]:
“Yes, [Oleksandr] Usyk is maybe couple of centimeters taller than me but he’s on the same weight like me. [Tyson] Fury is 6’9 and 270, 280 pounds. So if I want to hit him in the face, I would like have to jump, so. But you can’t jump in bare knuckle, not MMA, or for boxing. So definitely Tyson Fury would beat me because of that size. But if we are the same size, I would beat him in the bare knuckle. This is my game. I tell you before, I was born to to do this. Because every combat sport I did in the past, lead me to be the bare knuckle fighter that I am today.”
