Chris Camozzi faces Andrea Bicchi in the main event of BKFC 73, live on DAZN on Saturday, April 26 from Palazzo Wanny in Florence, Italy. The pair square off in a scheduled five-round bare-knuckle boxing bout with the cruiserweight title on the line.
Camozzi (3-1, 3 KOs) of Alameda, CA makes the first defense of his 205-pound belt. Bicchi (4-1) of Italy challenges for the strap on short notice, replacing Lorenzo Hunt, who withdrew from the rematch against Camozzi due to injury.
In the co-main event, Rico Franco (9-3, 7 KOs) of England meets Liverpool-based Irishman Jimmy Sweeney (19-4, 13 KOs) in a trilogy fight at welterweight. Franco defeated Sweeney in November 2019; the latter took revenge in September 2021. The pair battle it out for the BKFC European title.
Also on the BKFC 73 card is a heavyweight matchup between Haze Hepi of New Zealand and Steve Banks (4-2) of Hickory, North Carolina. Another contest at cruiserweight pits Ernesto Papa of Italy against Toni Estorer (1-1) of Germany. Plus, Nicole Schaefer (1-0, 1 KO) of Germany and Sara Bitto (1-0) of Italy clash at bantamweight.
BKFC 73 Italy results
Get BKFC 73 Italy full fight card results below.
Main card
- Chris Camozzi def. Andrea Bicchi by unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 50-44) | See photos
- Rico Franco def. Jimmy Sweeney by unanimous decision (extra round, 10-9, 10-9, 10-9)
- Haze Hepi def. Steve Banks by KO (R1, 1:36)
- Ernesto Papa def. Toni Estorer by KO (R1, 1:25)
- Navid Mansouri def. Ruslan Tokhtarov by KO (R1, 0:44)
- Jindrich Byrtus def. Arbi Chakaev by KO (R1, 0:32)
- Tomas Melis def. Jesus De Nazaret by KO (R1, 1:34)
- Nicole Schaefer def. Sara Bitto by split decision (50-45, 48-47, 46-49)
- Walter Pugliesi def. Dominik Herold by unanimous decision (47-46, 47-46, 47-46)
Prelims
- Marco Giustarini def. Zdravko Dimitrov by unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 48-47)
- Josef Hala def. Giovanni Carpentieri by TKO (R1, 1:59)
- Enzo Tobbia def. Michael Igwegbe by KO (R2, 1:29)
BKFC 73 Italy live blog
BKFC 73 Italy fight photos now live
The BKFC 73 Italy photos have been published, featuring the Chris Camozzi vs Andrea Bicchi main event clash, as well as highlights from the undercard and prelims.
Chris Camozzi defeats Andrea Bicchi by decision to retain title
Chris Camozzi (4-1, 3 KOs) of Alameda, CA, defeats Andrea Bicchi (4-2) of Italy by unanimous decision. With the victory, Camozzi – who scored a knockdown in the fifth round – makes the first successful defense of his 205-pound belt.
Main event time: Chris Camozzi vs Andrea Bicchi
The BKFC 73 Italy main event features Chris Camozzi defending his cruiserweight title against Andrea Bicchi. Bicchi stepped in as a replacement for Lorenzo Hunt, who withdrew due to injury.
Rico Franco defeats Jimmy Sweeney by decision in trilogy fight
Rico Franco (10-3, 7 KOs) of England scores a unanimous decision to win a trilogy fight against Ireland’s Jimmy Sweeney (19-5, 13 KOs), securing a knockdown in the fourth round along the way. The fight went on for six rounds. With the victory, Franco lifts the BKFC European title at welterweight.
Haze Hepi KO's Steve Banks in first round
Haze Hepi (1-0) of New Zealand knocks out Steve Banks (4-3) of Hickory, North Carolina in the first round at heavyweight. The time was 1:36 into the round.
Ernesto Papa KO's Toni Estorer in first round
Ernesto Papa (1-0) of Italy defeats Toni Estorer (1-2) of Germany by knockout in the first round at cruiserweight. The time was 1:25 into the round.
Navid Mansouri KO's Ruslan Tokhtarov in first round
Navid Mansouri (1-0) of England scores a 44-second knockout of Ruslan Tokhtarov at light heavyweight.
Jindrich Byrtus KO's Arbi Chakaev in first round
Jindrich Byrtus (1-0) of the Czech Republic KO’s Arbi Chakaev (1-1) in 32 seconds at cruiserweight.
Tomas Melis KO's Jesus De Nazaret in first round
Tomas Melis (1-0) of Slovakia defeats Jesus De Nazaret (0-1) by knockout in the first round at light heavyweight. The time was 1:34 into the round.
Nicole Schaefer defeats Sara Bitto by decision
Nicole Schaefer (2-0, 1 KO) of Germany defeats Sara Bitto (1-1) of Italy by split decision at bantamweight.
Walter Pugliesi defeats Dominik Herold by decision
Walter Pugliesi (2-0) of Italy defeats Dominik Herold (1-2) of the Czech Republic by unanimous decision at cruiserweight. On his way to victory, Pugliesi scored two knockdowns in the second round.
Marco Giustarini defeats Zdravko Dimitrov by decision
Rounding out the prelims, Marco Giustarini (1-1) of Italy defeats Zdravko Dimitrov (0-3) of Bulgaria by unanimous decision. The featherweight bout ended with the scores 50-45, 49-46, and 48-47.
Josef Hala TKO's Giovanni Carpentieri in second round
In another contest at light heavyweight, Josef Hala (1-0) of the Czech Republic defeats Giovanni Carpentieri (0-1) of Italy by TKO. The referee stopped the fight at 1:59 into the opening round.
Enzo Tobbia KO's Michael Igwegbe in second round
In the event opener at light heavyweight, Italian southpaw Enzo Tobbia (1-0) defeats Michael Igwegbe (0-1) of Nigeria by knockout with a big left hand. The time was 1:29 into the second round.
BKFC 73 Italy start time
BKFC 73 Italy airs live on DAZN. The start time in the U.S. is 1:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM PT. The local start time in Italy is 7:00 PM CEST.
