BKFC president discusses Mike Tyson offer and big-name signings

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is set to resume action at BKFC 11. President Dave Feldman talks about his offer to Mike Tyson and other fighters.

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) made waves when news of their offer to Mike Tyson broke several days ago, but he’s not the only big name the organization is trying to land.

BKFC founder and president Dave Feldman told The Ring on Monday, July 20, that they offered retired heavyweight boxing great Mike Tyson $20 million and further incentives to fight.

“We offered Tyson $20 million and some additional benefits, but he turned it down,” Feldman told The Ring.

Ultimately, it was a deal that the 54-year-old Tyson didn’t accept. Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) hasn’t fought since his 2005 loss to Kevin McBride. Tyson is known as one of the greatest power-punchers of all time and was the youngest ever to win the heavyweight title at 20 years old.

Feldman talked to FanSided about some of the details of his offer to Tyson and the upcoming BKFC 11 event. He wasn’t necessarily surprised Tyson turned down the money, but he was a bit stunned that he passed up the bonuses that went along with it.

“I wasn’t very surprised he turned down that kind of money, to be honest with you,” Feldman told FanSided. “But then when I added in the extra incentives, I was absolutely 100 percent surprised because, on the upside, it was very substantial.”

Feldman didn’t elaborate on the specifics of those incentives, but they seemed to possess a wealth of potential monetary value. While Tyson turned down BKFC’s offer, Feldman believes there is still a chance for Tyson to connect with the company in some capacity.

“Some of those opportunities might still happen, even if he doesn’t fight because we had a great conversation with his team,” added Feldman. “His team is fantastic. I really enjoyed talking to them. We’ll see what happens.”

Tyson is rumored to be preparing for a boxing comeback of some kind. Feldman signaled that he’s not done with his pursuit of Tyson.

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is targeting big-name, top boxing, and MMA talent for their company.

“Anytime you mention Mike Tyson, you get a reaction,” said Feldman. “Maybe he’ll do $100 million in boxing, but I don’t know. We’ll just keep moving forward and see if we can work something out after he’s done with his next boxing match.”

BKFC signed former WBO heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs (60-6-1, 53 KOs) to a contract in April. Briggs is 48 years old and hasn’t made his BKFC debut yet. Feldman would like to set up an event for Briggs, but only when it’s safe for sizable audiences to attend sporting events.

“But I would love to do him [Briggs] in front of a live crowd,” explained Feldman. “I think it would be amazing for him, especially down in South Florida where he’s very, very popular. ”

Feldman also discussed other athletes he’s pursuing for the BKFC banner. He’s not focusing on retired boxers and MMA fighters. Feldman wants to broaden the spectrum to combat participants in their prime. He teased that BKFC is on the verge of signing two notable athletes, one being a boxer and the other being an MMA fighter.

“I don’t want to just go after retired fighters,” said Feldman. “I want to get more younger and relevant guys. We do have a big announcement coming up here in the next two weeks about someone very, very relevant right now that we’re going to be signing. That’s the kind of moves we need to make going forward.”

FanSided pressed if the athlete was a boxer or MMA fighter, and Feldman said, “It’s one of each.”

Look for two big names to be signing with BKFC in a matter of weeks.

BKFC is back in action at BKFC 11 on Friday, July 24, from Oxford, Mississippi. A small number of tickets for the event are on sale. The audience is limited to about 600 attendees. Isaac Vallie-Flagg and Luis Palomino fight for the BKFC 155-pound title at the Lafayette County Multipurpose Arena.

Coverage of the event begins at 9 p.m. ET. The fight card is free and can be seen on BKFC’s Youtube channel, Facebook page, and new Bare Knuckle TV app.