"Free agent" BKFC champion Ben Rothwell opens up about what's next, expresses interest in boxing bout with Francis Ngannou
Ben Rothwell recently opened up about his contract status following his impressive BKFC heavyweight championship win last Saturday and expressed interest in competing against notable opponents. He named Francis Ngannou as a potential opponent as he wants an opportunity to showcase his boxing abilty.
The 43-year-old made a statement by knocking Mick Terrill out at 36-seconds of the first round to become the new BKFC heavyweight champion and improve his bare-knuckle boxing record to 4-0. Rothwell has since been linked to a bout against former UFC veteran Mark Hunt, but is also keeping his options open as he looks to close out his combat sports career with lucrative bouts.
During his latest appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, 'Big Ben' confirmed that he is a free agent following Knucklemania V but would like to remain with BKFC. Rothwell admitted that he likely won't be competing for much longer and mentioned that he'd like to fight the likes of Ngannou and Anthony Joshua:
"Right now, I'm a free agent...I very much love the BKFC...David Feldman and I would like to continue and even finish my career here...But, Francis Ngannou, Anthony Joshua...like, to put gloves on and prove how good at boxing I am would very much kind of be a bucket list [thing]...If I got to fight one of them, that would be a huge opportunity to show the world how good I really am."
Check out Ben Rothwell's comments below:
Ben Rothwell backs Mark Hunt as potential title challenger
In addition to expressing interest in boxing bouts against Francis Ngannou and Anthony Joshua, Ben Rothwell said that he would welcome a title fight against Mark Hunt.
During the aforementioned clip, Rothwell mentioned that he is interested in re-signing with BKFC and noted that a bout against Hunt would add more prestige to his heavyweight championship:
"I believe we're going to get something figured out [with BKFC] and I'll defend this belt. And then, Mark Hunt is kind of in the realm to do BKFC, so that's on the table too. That's another name that I think can bring more respect. I don't want to fight nobodies. I want to fight guys that are going to help us elevate this [title]."
Check out Ben Rothwell's knockout win at Knucklemania V below: