Chris "Bukwas" Anderson pounded his way to the Battlefield Fight League's vacant welterweight amateur championship Saturday night.
Competing in BFL 34 at the River Rock Casino in Richmond, Anderson rained a flurry of punches down on Perry Hayer, forcing the ref to stop the fight at 1:49 of the second round.
"Chris had been waiting and training since August for the opportunity to fight for the title," said Jonny Mac of the Comox Valley Boxing Club & Mixed Martial Arts.
"First his opponent was the reigning champion Curtis Harriot. That fight was cancelled because Harriot separated his shoulder in training and had to go under the knife. Then he had a fight set with Siaed Mirzaei, but he injured his knee eight days out from the fight.
"We thought we would have to wait months for one of these two to recover, but up stepped Perry Hayer out of WKX Surrey to save the day," Mac said.
Anderson (7-2-0) had to cut over 20 pounds for this fight but with 10 fights under his belt he has it down to a science. He weighed in at 169.0, down from the 187.5 he had been. Hayer (4-6-0) weighed in at 169.1 for the 170-pound division title tilt.
The fight started with both fighters exchanging punches and precise kicks. "Hayer, coming from one of the best kickboxing gyms in the country (WKX), we knew going into this fight that he wasn't going to be a walk over," Mac said.
"Halfway through the first round we called for a take down. Chris set it up with a one-two combination and shot in for a double leg take down." Once on the ground Anderson dominated his opponent with some vicious ground and pound. Saved by the bell, Hayer struggled to make it to his corner. Blood was flowing from his nose and mouth.
The second round started the same way the first did with some great combinations thrown by both fighters. "We called for the take down and Anderson answered again. Hayer went for the guillotine choke but he did not have the strength or position to pull it off. Anderson was able to sneak out and finish the fight with a flurry of punches. The ref stopped the fight halfway through the second round and a new champ was crowned.
"We would like to thank everyone that helped get Chris ready for his fight," Mac said. "Athletes and coaches from all over the Island, including the students at CVBC. We would also like to thank our sponsors and fans. Without all these people we wouldn't be able to compete or train at the top level."
Mac said Anderson has a couple of options in the near future. "You can follow him on Facebook on his fan page or swing by the boxing club to say hello and get a picture with the belt."
– Comox Valley Boxing Club & Mixed Martial Arts