Sam Alvey is ready for bareknuckle boxing.
Unfortunately, bareknuckle boxing is not ready for Sam Alvey. At least not under the BKFC banner, thanks to the recent acquisition of former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold. That big-ticket purchase boxed out the “Smile’N” slugger, who quickly made a play for the wild and wacky world of Russian combat sports.
“Everyone talks about bareknuckle boxing, ‘Why don’t you go bareknuckle box, Smile’N Sam?’ I said, ‘Hell yeah, I love boxing.’ I love all that,” Alvey said. “Let’s freaking do it. And then they say, ‘Well, I mean we’re not going to pay you, we’re not going to pay you much.’ I said, ‘What will you pay me?’ I need to do a camp, I need to be able to support my family can’t just be something I do on the side or I have to move forward. They said, ‘We can’t pay you, but Russia, they do hardcore fighting over there, they do bareknuckle MMA, bareknuckle kickboxing, bareknuckle boxing, and they’re looking for bareknuckle boxers right now.’”
Alvey, who turns 37 in just a few weeks, parted ways with UFC after going winless in his last nine fights. Despite his unceremonious finish under the Endeavor umbrella, there was a time in the not-too-distant past when Alvey (33-18-1, 1 NC) was ranked in the Top 15 at both middleweight and light heavyweight.
“Actually, two weeks before Christmas, I got reached out to by bareknuckle boxing over in Russia, they said, ‘Hey, if you want to fight here in Russia with us, we need a 205, ex-UFC, in two weeks, we want that fight on Christmas Day.’ Two weeks notice. I talked to my wife and said, ‘I really don’t want to go to Russia but I’m in, let’s do it.’ They were gonna pay me over $100,000 to do it. I know I can beat anyone in the world. I know I can be any Russian in boxing. I know I can do it. I said, ‘Alright, I’m in, sign me up.’ Then like three days later they said, ‘We changed our mind, we don’t have anyone that wants to fight you.’”
While that fight never came to fruition, followed by two subsequent bookings in February and April that also fell through, Alvey insists his new International management team is keeping him at the top of the list for the next available opening. To help expedite the process, “Smile’N” Sam has offered to fight at middleweight, light heavyweight, or heavyweight.
“Bareknuckle boxing here locally, they don’t want to pay anything,” Alvey continued. “They want to put all their money on Luke Rockhold, couple other fighters. Good for Luke! I hope Luke’s making a fortune. I’m looking forward to that fight between Mike Perry and Luke Rockhold, I really am. I think it will be a good fight. I’m picking Luke, by the way. I think the height, range, and experience are just gonna be too much. I know Perry’s got that dog in him. And who knows? Maybe I’ll be able to sign up and fight Luke. They said, ‘Well, we’re gonna spend our money on Luke, we’re not gonna give you anything.’”
Until then, Alvey will keep busy as part of the next B2FS card on May 27 in Columbus, Georgia, where he battles 5-12 heavyweight bruiser Cameron “Big Mac” Graham.