Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) pugilists Chad Mendes and Eddie Alvarez squared off in an 165-pound bout tonight (Sat. April 29, 2023) from Broomfield, Colorado at BKFC 41.
Mendes began the fight jabbing in a low stance. Alvarez worked forward and fired a combination, but Mendes rolled those punches and landed a big right. The two veterans were exchanging heavy, and Mendes circled off with a small cut above his eye. Working the counter, Alvarez landed well to end the opening round.
Mendes started the second strong, landing a stiff jab then sending Alvarez to floor with a left hook. “The Underground King” popped right back up and swung wide, missing big. The pace settled a bit, and Alvarez popped a few jabs. The two finished the round trading close distance uppercuts, but Mendes’ knockdown was clearly the biggest moment so far.
Alvarez returns the favor with a left hook knockdown immediately to open the third! It looked like a bit of a slip, but the referee counts regardless. “Money” fires back with a lunging left of his own. Mendes doubles up on the jab and lands well. Alvarez answered with a few punches, but overall Mendes won most exchanges aside from the knockdown, which holds major sway on the scorecards.
Mendes lands some huge shots in the opening exchanges of the fourth, including a major lead hand uppercut. Nice overhand counter scores for Alvarez, but Mendes walks him down and fires big hooks. A 1-2-3 lands hard for Mendes near the end of the round, seemingly wobbling Alvarez.
With five minutes to go, the fight was very much up in the air. Both athletes opened with fiery exchanges, and each man landed. Alvarez put together some nice pressure and volume, then Mendes answered with a pair of left hooks. Alvarez was really going for it, putting together major volume, and he scored the knockdown with a left hook-right uppercut! AT THE BELL, MENDES ANSWERS WITH A KNOCKDOWN OF HIS OWN!
This bout was about as close as it gets, with each man landing a similar number of strikes and pair of knockdowns. Ultimately, two of the three judges named Alvarez the victor, though it wouldn’t be a huge shock if they run it back at some point. This was a tremendous fight and an excellent showcase for BKFC!
Result: Alvarez via split-decision
For complete BKFC 41: “Rockhold vs. Perry” results and play-by-play, click HERE!