[autotag]Lorenzo Hunt[/autotag] continues his reign over two divisions in BKFC after defeating UFC veteran Chris Camozzi at BKFC 50.
In the main event at 1st Bank Center in Denver, Hunt (10-1 BKFC) put his cruiserweight title on the line against Camozzi (2-1 BKFC). The crowd wasn’t pleased with every moment of the fight, but when they traded, the two main eventers looked for knockout blows. After five rounds, Hunt was declared the winner by split decision as the judges issued scores of 48-47, 47-48 and 49-46.
The majority of the first was spent hand-fighting and finding the range. Hunt exploded with a hard right hand that got the action heated up, as Camozzi charged forward. In the clinch, a few short punches connected for Camozzi, but Hunt didn’t appear to be bothered.
The Denver crowd showed their displeasure with the lack of output in the second. Much like the opening round, most of the frame saw neither fighter commit to a punch. However, in the closing seconds, action heated up, led by Hunt who swung wild hooks until the bell.
Camozzi was able to get a hold of Hunt in the third, and they wrestled for position. After being separated by referee Dan Miragliotta, they went right back into the clinch, but this time they worked dirty boxing, exchanging a number of punches in close range. Hunt closed out the round with another combination to cap off the most intense round of the fight.
In Round 4, Camozzi stalked forward initially, but didn’t find room to land anything of significance while Hunt picked his spots to dart forward with looping punches. A few boos could be heard as the pace slowed from the previous round.
Hunt put the pressure on Camozzi early in the final round, but Miragliotta was busy breaking up clinches that stalled. Camozzi landed a hard right hand for the best punch of the round. Hunt appeared hurt, but he still came forward looking to land more until time expired.
The announcement of a split decision was made, and it was revealed Hunt earned two scorecards in his favor. He successfully defended his cruiserweight title (205 pounds) while also the champion of the BKFC light heavyweight division (185 pounds).
“Chris Camozzi actually has the career that I wanted,” Hunt said during his post-fight interview. “I was passed up by the UFC, I was passed up by the other organizations. Thank you to David Feldman and Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships for making my dream come true. Thank you, Denver for having me.
“I am the best bareknuckle fighter in the world! I will die before I quit!”
[vertical-gallery id=2681779]
Full results of BKFC 50 include:
- Lorenzo Hunt def. Chris Camozzi via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 49-46)
- Josh Copeland def. Steve Herelius via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:43
- Marcus Edwards def. Michael Manno via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
- Keegan Vandermeer def. Dillon Winemiller via knockout – Round 1, 1:00
- Andrew Angelcor def. Brett Hudson via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – Round 1, 1:09
- Tony Jenkins def. Brian Maronek via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:18
- Andrew Yates def. Christian Torres via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
- Monica Franco def. Khortni Kamyron via split decision (46-49, 48-46, 48-47)
- Andrew Strode def. Cary Caprio via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:40
- Dominick Carey def. Angelo Trujillo via DQ (illegal ground strikes) – Round 1, 0:38
- Lamont Stafford def. Gabriel Mota via knockout – Round 3, 0:40
- Zebulin Vincent def. Jessie Stalder via knockout – Round 1, 0:55