Mark Irwin and Joshua Oxendine will clash to become BYB Extreme‘s first-ever 135-pound champion at BYB 17: Brawl at Rock Hill on May 13th.
The pugilistic proceedings broadcast on combatcast.tv/byb and the show will kick-off at 7 PM EST.
‘The Shark’ has long felt like he’s among the best bare-knuckle boxers on the planet but this fight provides him with some hardware to further convey that idea.
Irwin spoke to Dylan Bowker of Bare Knuckle News before this historic championship effort. Excerpts from the chat can be found below.
Mark Irwin
What was your temperament when this huge championship bout offer came your way?
“I was extremely excited. You know, it’s been a real up-and-down journey for me. I think I was a little surprised, to be honest. Just coming off of an injury and having been out for almost a year. To be able to come back to the biggest fight possible, a world championship title fight. The inaugural BYB lightweight bare-knuckle boxing championship, it’s a tremendous honor.”
Mark Irwin continued, “I’m extremely excited. I can’t wait to go out there and put on another spectacular, highlight reel, knockout of the year-contending performance and bring that belt back with me to Huntington Beach, California; fight city USA.”
BYB Extreme
Having fought in both BKFC and BYB Extreme, what are some of the differences between competing in the squared circle versus in The Mighty Trigon?
“Yeah, you know it is very different. I’m fortunate that I’ve been able to fight for the two largest promotions in the sport. BKFC, fighting in the squared circle, right, it’s a large circular ring that allows for a lot of movement and footwork. It’s great if you want to use lateral movement. Circle and turn your opponent. You can keep spinning that thing forever, it’s really hard to back somebody up because of the shape of the ring.”
“Whereas in BYB, in the Trigon, which is the world’s smallest combat sports surface, there’s really nowhere to go. So it forces the confrontation, forces the action. If you take three back steps you’re gonna end up on the rope or in the corner. One of the things to consider too about the Mighty Trigon is that because there’s only three corners instead of four, the angles of each corner is substantially more narrow.”
Mark Irwin continued, “Being I think 60 or 66 degrees as opposed to ninety degrees which makes it tougher to get out of if you do end up getting backed up into that corner. So considerations as far as movement, distance, and footwork all need to be taken into account for the different surfaces and shapes of the ring. I love fighting in the Trigon. It is the world’s most dangerous combat sports ring and it really adds to the level of excitement.”
Mark Irwin vs Joshua Oxendine
There are certain similarities between you and Joshua Oxendine with both of you having 2-0 records in bare-knuckle boxing with a pair of stoppages each. What are your thoughts on Oxendine’s BYB Extreme resume leading into this?
“Oxendine, he’s a tough opponent. He’s got a lot of experience but at the end of the day, his skillset is not on par with my skillset. His tools are more limited than my tools. I’m a better boxer, I hit harder. I have a higher fight IQ. I’m tougher, I got more heart, I got bigger balls. I’m better looking, my tattoos are better, I talk better. I do everything better, you know.”
Mark Irwin continued, “Oxendine’s gonna come in, he’s gonna do what he’s gonna do; tough country boy. But at the end of the day, being a tough guy in this sport is going to get you hurt. That’s exactly what’s going to happen to Joshua Oxendine, the altar boy, on May 13th. I’m gonna knock him out viciously, violently, and emphatically.”
BYB 17: Brawl at Rock Hill
You see the knockout manifesting in this fight. Is there something you see in his approach that lends itself to that belief or is it more of just realizing what you bring to the table?
“It’s both. I’m an undefeated, award-winning prizefighter with a world-class team around me. With world championship coaches in MMA, boxing, strength and conditioning. My sparring partners are all world-class. My resume speaks for itself. As far as Oxendine is concerned, look he has eight professional losses in his combative sports career.”
Mark Irwin continued, “Nine as far as I’m concerned, six or seven of which are stoppages. He’s a tough kid but he’s dumb. He lacks the skills and quite frankly he lacks heart. He’s been stopped many times, he’s gonna get stopped again, and that’s an inevitable conclusion.”
