On May 31, 2025, Robert Duran Jr. will continue his bare-knuckle boxing career when he fights Rolando Dy in a collision between the next generation of fighters at BKB 41: Brawl in Duval II. This is a momentous occasion for Duran Jr. and his efforts to complete his legacy in combat sports, taking place at the Prime F. Osborn Convention Center in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Upcoming Fight: A Battle of Boxing Bloodlines
The co-main event features a battle between two sons of iconic fighters, Robert Duran Jr., son of four-time world champion Roberto “Hands of Stone” Duran, battles Rolando Dy, son of Rolando Navarrete, who held the WBC Super Featherweight title.
“Having the added prestige of their respected bloodlines just adds to the excitement,” said BKB Hall of Fame Matchmaker Mel Valenzuela. “Either someone’s getting dropped early, or this one’s going to be a five-round bloody slugfest.”
Given the divisional consequences to the winner, this is an important match. Duran Jr., currently 4th in the BKB Super Welterweight Rankings with a record of 2-1 in bare-knuckle fighting, is up against Dy, 5th in the rankings with a record of 3-1. Both fighters have a wealth of experience in the combat sports arena beyond bare-knuckle fighting.
From Boxing Gloves to Bare Knuckles
Duran Jr. only began fighting bare-knuckle in early 2024 as he signed a multi-fight contract with the BYB Extreme Bare Knuckle Fighting Series. Duran Jr. made his professional bare-knuckle fighting debut on May 10, 2024, at the BYB 26: Mile High Brawl event in Denver, Colorado, where he defeated Javon “Wolfman” Wright by third-round TKO.
The fight earned “Fight of the Night” honors, with Duran Jr. showcasing both the technical skills honed through professional boxing and the toughness required for bare-knuckle competition.
“This sport suits me,” Duran Jr. said when signing with BYB. “Before I ever laced up the gloves, I was fighting bare knuckle on the streets growing up.”
Since then, Duran Jr. has continued the bare-knuckle journey with a record of 2-1. Most recently, he defeated Joshua Sikes at the BYB 37: Denver Brawl 4 event on February 22, 2025, which helped solidify his standing within the Super Welterweight division as a rising contender.
The Boxing Legacy: More Than Just a Famous Name
Robert Duran Jr has a pro boxing record of 12-4-0, and his boxing career began later in life than most fighters at 29-years-old. Duran Jr. has fought on some major boxing cards, including the Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou on undercard, in Saudi Arabia.
The 36-year-old fighter is 5-foot-10 with a reach of 70.9 inches, he has spent his career fighting mostly in the super welterweight division. While not the champion that his father was, Duran Jr. has made a name for himself.
Father and Son: A Complicated Relationship
Unlike many famous boxing offspring who train under their fathers’ guidance, Roberto Duran Jr. has largely forged his path independently. In a revealing 2019 interview with Sky Sports, he opened up about his complex relationship with his father.
“The last time I talked to him was a couple years ago before his movie came out. My older sister somehow reached out to him and I spoke with him for 5 minutes. That’s it,” Duran Jr. said.
Even through that disconnect, Duran Jr. has embraced his father’s name and the boxing legacy it carries. When asked if he would consider using a different name to remove the burden of his father being a legend, Duran Jr. quickly replied, “No.”
“No,” he responded. “It doesn’t matter what relationship I have with my dad, good or bad. It is still my name. It is a must that I carry the name.”
Transitioning to a New Combat Arena
The move to bare-knuckle fighting represents more than just a career pivot for Duran Jr. It offers him the opportunity to establish his own identity in combat sports.
“In bare knuckle I can build my own name and own legacy outside of the shadow of my namesake,” Duran Jr. explained. “I have spent most of my life and built my career on my own, and I plan to forge this new path in the same manner.”
He’s been clear about his ambitions in the sport, stating: “It is the future of combat sports and I plan on being one of its first mainstream stars for years to come, and help propel it to the masses.”
The Mighty Trigon: A Unique Fighting Environment
Robert Duran Jr. will soon be participating in a fight sponsored by BKB in their signature fight ring, the “Mighty Trigon.” It’s a three-sided ring that sets BKB apart from the other bare-knuckle entities in the fight universe. Three sided fighting space is purposefully made to inspire more action in the ring with less clinching, as well as create a higher action and aggressive circumstance for the fighters.
BKB (formerly BYB) has done a great job of expanding to the growing of bare-knuckle fighting. In the last few years, BKB has purchased UK-based BKB, which is the oldest professional bare-knuckle boxing company in the world. To give you some context, this makes BKB the largest bare-knuckle boxing company in the terms of roster size and distribution globally, as well.
The Growing Bare-Knuckle Scene
Bare-knuckle boxing has made an amazing resurgence in popularity in recent years. Once considered an underground sport, several promotions have launched and sanctioned bare-knuckle fights in many states across the U.S., as well as a few locations internationally. Bare-knuckle boxing offers exciting new opportunities for boxers, MMA fighters, and other combat sport athletes.
For Robert Duran Jr., this represents a pivotal moment in his career as the momentum of bare-knuckle fighting is growing. Although the May 31 event was originally planned to have two title fights scheduled, travel issues and injuries caused both fights to be postponed.
Now, the card will be headlined by a matchup between 7-2 Jarod “Kid Gatti” Grant and undefeated Rawand Ouba for the BKB Interim Lightweight Championship, with Duran Jr. vs. Dy serving as the co-main event.
Looking Forward: The Stakes Are High
For Robert Duran Jr., the fight on May 31 won’t be just another fight. Instead, it will be a step up the divisional rankings and toward a title shot at some point.
A win against a fellow second-generation fighter with UFC experience would endorse Duran Jr.’s credibility as a bare-knuckle fighter, and further separate Duran Jr.’s career from his father’s well-known name and record.
As bare-knuckle boxing is on its way to become a mainstream sport, fighters like Duran Jr. are the bridge between boxing and this new combat sport due to their familiarity, and experience in legitimate combative sports.
Whether Robert Duran Jr. can live up to the “Hands of Stone” nickname his father was known for will still be seen, but Robert Duran Jr. is certainly determined to make his presence known in the bare-knuckle world, one fight at a time.
Disclaimer: This article contains information gathered from various public sources as of May 15, 2025. Fight cards are subject to change, and while every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of the information presented, readers are encouraged to check official BKB channels for the most current details regarding the event.