Javon Wright, the current BKB Police Gazette welterweight champion, is set to defend his title at BKB 54’s “Mayhem in Manchester” on May 16th. His opponent will be Dan Gittens, in a fight that was previously postponed in January. Reflecting on the ongoing tension throughout the year leading up to this rescheduled bout, Javon Wright shared his anticipation:
“Right. I’m looking forward to it too, my man. Like I said, dude been running his mouth a lot since January. So, I’m hoping he gonna back up all that little stuff he was talking come Saturday. Ending my career and all of this. So, let’s hope he can back it up.”
When questioned about the uncharacteristic animosity heading into his fight with Gittens, Wright stated:
“Oh, yeah. I’mma smack the s**t out of him for real. Cuz like I say, you can run your mouth. He been crying like a little girl since since August for real. So he been crying about this title fight for a while and I said I unexpectedly got hurt a week before the fight. I had to unexpectedly pull out. Like I said, he been crying. He been crying to the promoters and everybody who had listened to him since then. So since he want to run his mouth, I’mma make sure he backs up everything he was saying come Saturday.”
Addressing whether he felt his opponent doubted the legitimacy of his previous injury, Wright responded:
“Yeah, he definitely was. But like you said, I mean, people gonna run their mouth and talk. But I mean, I know I was injured and my camp know I was injured. So that’s all that really matters.”
The BKB champion emphasized that being a good father is what defines his championship status, stating that winning a world title is meaningless if it cannot be shared with his children. He elaborated on the pride he takes in being a fighting father:
“Yes, I definitely do because my daughters, they’re usually at the gym with me most of the time when I’m working out. Whenever they’re with me, they’re usually at the gym with me, watching me, or trying to do what I’m doing, working out, hitting the bag, and everything. I was actually talking to them like right before I got here and she was asking me questions like, “Who [are] you fighting? What’s his name?” She’s like, “Well, daddy, you better not lose.” All this [laughs]. So, I definitely got to do what I can not to lose so my daughters don’t talk stuff when I get back home.”
When it was suggested that his daughters have a history of teasing him if he loses, setting a precedent for such interactions, Wright agreed:
“Oh, yeah. Yeah, they are definitely gonna let me hear. They definitely gonna let me hear it. So, I mean, I got to do everything I can so I don’t hear it.”
Speaking about the evident growth of BKB Bare Knuckle and his role in its narrative as a titleholder, Wright expressed his pride:
“Oh yeah, I’m very proud to be a part of something as big as what BKB [are] doing. With coming over here to England and then having fights over here, signing all the big names that we recently signed, the Ricky Hatton Foundation that they just launched, and all that. So it’s only going to get bigger and more global. I’m actually grateful to be a part of everything that they’ve got going on right now. To be champion of everything that they’ve got going on is a time, so.”
The BKB Bare Knuckle title carries a significant legacy, blending the modern appeal of BKB with the historical prestige of the Police Gazette. Wright acknowledged the importance of this historical connection:
“Yes, it definitely is. Like you said, I think the [Police] Gazette belt is over a hundred years old, and then I actually got my name already etched in legacy now just because of me winning the title and everything. So, to be holding a title that’s been something that’s been going on for years is a blessing for me. So, I love it.”
Despite having experience in various combat sports, including gloved boxing and MMA, Wright has developed a unique approach for bare-knuckle boxing and the BKB Trigon. He explained his training methods for navigating the confined fighting space:
“Oh, well, you [would] be surprised. I do a lot of shadow boxing in the sauna and usually the sauna is small. So if I can maneuver around and do my pivots and whatnot in the sauna then the trigon is pretty much nothing at that point. So, I try to do a lot of shadow boxing and pivoting and whatnot in like enclosed spaces. Like the sauna, maybe a closet, or anything. Anything small enough that I can still move around, I try to use to imitate the Trigon because if I can move around there, the trigon is pretty much nothing.”
He further noted how this intense training in extreme conditions benefits his performance:
“Right, and then actually it also helps with; I’m trying to do it in a sauna, it’s 100 degrees in there, and I’m sweating my ass off trying to regulate my breathing and temperature. So it actually puts me at a disadvantage. So it actually works out for me a little bit more cuz it puts me in that tense situation. Like if I’m fifth round and I’m dead tired, and like you said, my opponent is backing me up. Like oh, I got to do like; I’ve already been through this in the sauna. So just turn and pivot. So it makes me used to it already.”
When asked if this training had paid off in a specific fight, Wright recalled his second bout against Kylle McMillan:
“Probably my second fight against [Kylle] McMillan, Kylle McMillan. We, maybe like the fourth or fifth round, I was getting tired. It got to the point where I was like, “Well, just stay on the bike and keep moving.” So, it’s just like, “All right, just keep moving, keep turning, keep pivoting. Make him come to you and when he get close enough, just turn him.” So, it worked out for me in that fight, for sure.”
Wright believes that overcoming challenges and pushing through adversity is crucial for growth as a fighter:
“Yeah. Cuz I mean if you don’t you’re going to either get knocked out or you’re gonna end up losing the fight. So it’s either suck it up and go past your limits or fall off and lose the fight. So I mean, I just Iold myself, dig deep, start breathing. Like, remember all the training you did. Just go out there, stick to the game plan, and it worked.”
He discussed the evolution of fight IQ in bare-knuckle boxing and how his diverse background in MMA and kickboxing has been advantageous:
“Yeah, because definitely with this sport, my clinch is pretty much one of my biggest weapons in this. Me coming coming from MMA and boxing, kickboxing backgrounds, it actually worked out better for me coming from those backgrounds first before I came to BKB.”
“Because like I said, usually when I get that arm behind your head, it’s most likely you not getting out too, most of the time. So, I’m actually glad I started MMA and kickboxing before I came here cuz I already had the skill set, the experience, and then I just transferred all the experience over to what I’m doing now.”
Training at Hill Street Boxing Gym, he has also benefited from working with former BKB Bare Knuckle titleholder Julio Tanori:
“Yes, I’m still at Hill Street Boxing. I’m usually there pretty much almost every day training and I got the guys up there helping me. Julio Tanori, the former BKB boxer, he’s there and I got a few people helping me out. So yeah, I’m still at Hill Street Boxing and that’s where I’ll most likely be at.”
Wright acknowledged the value of such rigorous training:
“Oh yeah, of course. He be beating me up sometimes [laughs].”
Javon Wright states that Dan Gittens “is gonna get his a** destroyed”
Wright’s first BKB title fight ended in a first-round knockout. Considering the ongoing animosity and his title fight record, when asked about his prediction for this bout, Wright stated:
“To be honest, I can’t see how it’s going to feel, but I can tell you this. Like, I’ve been literally training as hard as I can for this fight. Be honest, since I’ve started BKB, this is probably the hardest I’ve trained for a fight in a while. Only off because dude was running his mouth a lot. I mean, I’m not really the type to talk a lot of s**t. I just come in there and back my thing up.
“But [the] dude [has] been running his mouth a lot. So, he gave me a lot more motivation to get ready for this fight. So, I mean, at the end of the night, it’s going to be me beating his ass and getting my hand raised.”
When humorously asked if his daughters’ trash talk had prepared him for the verbal exchanges with Gittens, Wright responded:
“Definitely. Like I said, he ain’t here yet, but I’m waiting for him to get here because I’m going to be talking s**t the entire next three days into the fight.”
While trash talk isn’t his usual style, Wright is prepared to engage if provoked:
“Yeah, we can definitely do it. I don’t mind talking a little s**t. I mean, he was telling the whole crowd how we can go outside, and we can fight, not inside the the ring and all that. He definitely don’t want to fight with no referees there. I promise you, he don’t want to see me with no ref there because he is gonna get his ass destroyed. But I beat his ass outside the ring, inside the ring. I really don’t care. But I guarantee you, I just want him to back up everything he was saying. Everything. I want him to end my career. Please end my career.”
Concluding his thoughts ahead of BKB 54, Wright stated:
“Oh, yeah. My thought is Dan Gittens is a hoe, and I can’t wait to see him Saturday.”
