James Lilley was initially set to fight for the BKFC UK featherweight title later this week, but now Gary Fox is out, and Lilley is moving up to another division altogether. That Fox fight did have a lot of weight behind it though, and when discussing that fight at the time that it was still set to go down, James Lilley stated [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Yeah, like any other card I think it would be a main event. But you know Mick Terrill’s from Newcastle, former heavyweight champion, you can’t really argue [laughs] with him being main event, so. But I think any other card it would have been a main event fight.”
James Lilley’s legacy-defining moment pulled away from him
James Lilley was also set up to make a statement and possibly join the rarefied air that includes fighters who have captured a championship under the BKFC umbrella, as well as a champion under the BKB banner. This context ties into the aforementioned Terrill, who has held gold in both promotions.
Reflecting on that Scott McHugh win at BKB 21 and contemplating what a capstone achievement it would be to become a multi-promotion champion in the world of gloveless combat, Lilley quipped [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Yeah, it’s a weird one for me because I challenged for a few titles in my career. MMA, boxing, bare knuckle, BKB, then BKFC, and only the BKB one I managed to uapture. So, it’s kind of like will it ever happen again for me? I’m going to put my body through hell to try and get that belt. But yeah, I think being a champion in BKFC would sort of mark off the last 20 years of my career as you’ve achieved something.”
“At the moment, I’m an elite man. I know I’ve been in with some good fighters. But I think that belt will just encapsulate everything I’ve been working towards and it’s the only thing on my mind at the moment. I don’t care about sort of money and the fame and stuff that comes. I just want to get that belt so that I can say I was a BKFC champion. Show my kids something in 10 years time, 20 years time.”
The chance to make history will have to be paused for a bit with ‘Lights Out’ Lilley claiming on social media that the bout with Fox would be re-booked in a few months. The BKFC UK promoter has also claimed that Fox fell out due to unforeseen circumstances.
The former BKFC lightweight title challenger will no longer be vying for UK gold at 145 pounds versus Fox and returns to 155 pounds here in this short-notice bout. Josué Ekedi will now step up to fight the decorated bare knuckle boxer in a last-minute lightweight bout locked in for BKFC Fight Night Newcastle at Utilita Arena Newcastle on March 14th.