THE FUTURE OF LOCAL SPORTS

Bare-knuckle boxing continues to gain traction as a mainstream combat sport with events starting to pop up in the United States. Tampa Bay, Florida will host Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships upcoming show that features Mansfield native Julian Lane.

 

The 31-year-old combat sports veteran returns to action on June 22, taking his match with Tom Shoaff on short notice. Lane has spent his four week training camp working out in his hometown at the Friendly House so he could spend more time with his three daughters who provide Julian with motivation.

 

Lane is coming off a second-round TKO loss to Leonard Garcia at BKFC 4 in Mexico with plans to bounce back in a 165-pound catchweight bout vs Shoaff that can be seen live on FITE TV pay-per-view. Paulie Malignaggi vs Artem Lobov will headline the card.

 

Lane says  he’s, “made the most of this training process,” adding, “I’ve got faith that it’s my time and I’m gonna definitely shine Saturday night.”