Alberto Blas to defend BKB super featherweight title against Birr

Alberto Blas is set to defend his BKB super featherweight title against Brandon Birr on August 29 in Miami. The bout is scheduled as the third fight on the BKB 58 card, following heavyweight matches between Gustavo Trujillo and Mark O’Neil, and the bare-knuckle debut of Yuriorkis Gamboa against Frank Talavera.

Blas enters the contest with an undefeated BKB record of 8-0. The 30-year-old Cuban-born southpaw has secured every victory in the promotion via knockout or technical knockout. Seven of these eight finishes occurred during the first round, while his only fight to reach the third round was a TKO victory over Harold McQueen.

The matchup reunites two fighters who were originally scheduled to compete for the vacant super featherweight belt in January. Brandon Birr was forced to withdraw from that initial title fight due to an injury, allowing Harold McQueen to step in as the replacement. Blas defeated McQueen in that bout to become the inaugural champion at BKB 50: Evolution.

Birr, a fighter from Cleveland, seeks to reclaim championship status. He previously held the BKB/BYB featherweight title after defeating McQueen via sixth-round disqualification in August 2023. However, he lost that belt to McQueen through a second-round TKO during their rematch in February 2024.

For Blas, the August 29 event represents his first defense of the super featherweight championship. He will look to maintain his perfect finishing record against a former titleholder. The fight marks a return to the original championship pairing that was disrupted earlier this year.