From the track to the Trigon, how Mark Irwin found bare-knuckle boxing

Bare-knuckle boxer Mark Irwin recently signed an extended contract with BYB Extreme Bare Knuckle, but he got his athletic start on the track. 

You have to be a unique individual to take up bare-knuckle boxing, and that’s an adjective that perfectly describes BYB Extreme’s, Mark Irwin.

Irwin is 2-0 as a professional boxer and bare-knuckle boxer. He found combat sports in life, but he’s making the most of his opportunities at 34 years old.

Irwin didn’t start boxing until he was 23. Before that, he was a collegiate distance runner at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, CA.

“I just ran for a couple seasons at Saddleback College here in Orange County, California,” Irwin said to FanSided. “And actually, I ended up dropping out of school. And I took up amateur boxing, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”

While Irwin excelled on the track as an athlete, he wasn’t vibing on an academic level with college. Track wasn’t enough to keep Irwin enrolled, and he dropped out without a clear next step.

“I’ve never been very scholastic,” Irwin said. “You know, I’ve never been much for, you know, hitting the books coming up as a kid. It just wasn’t for me. I don’t know if there was so much of a plan involved. But I dropped out of school. I started boxing.”

After leaving school, Irwin had some friends that were doing boxing workouts out of their garage. He was invited to check it out, and Irwin gave his friends the business on his first day.

“As far as combat sports training was concerned, honestly, I had some friends that were taking lessons in a garage one day in my early 20s,” Irwin related. “And they brought me along. I beat up all my friends, and I had fun doing it. And I’ve been training ever since.”

Irwin fell into boxing, saw he had talent and decided to pursue it further. He had a background in sports science from college, so Irwin knew how to train his body.

Mark Irwin signed a long-term contract with BYB Extreme Bare Knuckle

Irwin was hooked on boxing and dedicated himself to his boxing training. Again, with little of a plan, Irwin figured he would compete as an amateur and train others in the gym to generate an income.

He didn’t have aspirations of turning pro. Irwin followed his intrinsic enjoyment of boxing. He didn’t do it for the money.

“So I started competing, started winning fights,” Irwin said. “And you know, it became a full-time gig working in the gym, training people and training full time. I won a couple of big tournaments with USA boxing and won the state championship two years in a row. And then I dabbled in officiating for a while with USA Boxing as a judge and referee at local events.”

Then the pandemic hit. USA Boxing couldn’t host events, so Irwin’s officiating work ceased. Then, he received an opportunity to realize a dream. He was offered a professional fight in Tiajuana, Mexico, and jumped at the chance.

“That’s when we actually started boxing professionally in Mexico,” Irwin said. “And we had a couple of fights down in Tijuana.”

Irwin’s record is 2-0, with 1 KO as a professional boxer. He might have more wins as a traditional boxer, but his combat sports path shifted unexpectedly, which seems to happen regularly throughout Irwin’s life.

The trusting wheels of fate again intervened in Irwin’s life in the form of YouTube.

“So I was watching YouTube one day, and by chance, a bare-knuckle fight popped up on my algorithm,” Irwin recalled. “And I watched the fight. And I was like, wow, this is crazy. This is out of control. Right? I watched the whole fight. And then, of course, the YouTube algorithm was like, ‘Oh, you’d like that here. Watch another one.'”

Irwin fell into the YouTube loop and consumed more bare-knuckle viewing. That’s when Irwin had an epiphany.

“At which point, I thought to myself, you know, Mark, you can beat a lot of these guys,” Irwin said. “Like, I wasn’t too impressed with the quality of the boxing of a lot of the people that I watched. And so that planted a seed in my mind. And then the very next day, just again, by chance, I’m scrolling through my phone, and I see that BKFC is having open tryouts in Tampa, Florida, two weeks from the day.

“And I just decided it was a sign from the universe. I bought myself a plane ticket, and I flew across the country to attend the workouts. I was one of five people that won a contract with the promotion.”

Irwin proved to be a talented bare-knuckle boxer knocking out his opponents in his two fights in his new sport. He fought his first bout with BKFC and his second with BYB Extreme Bare Knuckle.

Irwin’s performances were dynamic enough to earn him a long-term contract with BYB. His dynamic personality, punching power and impressive cardio make him a force in the lightweight division.

Irwin continues to go with the flow and hopes it will result in him becoming a world champion.

“I just signed a long-term agreement with the BYB, and right now, my entire focus is on winning a world championship in bare-boxing. So I’m really excited to be here m with this promotion and to chase after that world title.”